12th MOVEMENT
Allison Forrester was about to climb aboard the helicopter, but Karl held her arm.
“We need to talk.” He said.
“Make it snappy.” She replied.
“Since word of your little accident with the van got out, some employees are getting a bit uneasy. I think we should do something about it.”
“Give them a break.” Allison answered.
The man frowned at her.
“Break as in… some quality time in solitary confinement?” He finally said.
“No, I mean some quality time in the coffee room.” Allison replied. “Give them a chance to cool out.”
“Are you sure? Corporate might consider that a totally unnecessary spoiling of employees. You know they don’t deserve it. They should be disciplined, not given treats.”
“Oh yeah, send them all to the calaboose, chain them, beat them to death, Corporate will get a lot of respect out of this. Too bad it’s kind of difficult for people to work with broken arms and they tend to slow down when unhappy. Just do what you’re told.”
“Yes, ma’am” He grunted.
“Please, call me Ally. And, as long as we’re discussing meeting topics by a loud helicopter, what about that girl who escaped Brokenville? Any news about that?”
“She was aided by a couple of weirdoes and they stole a limo. But our satellites found the vehicle by the walls of Devasta Land with no heat signatures inside. They must be meat now.”
“Oh, I love when a problem works out on its own, the dream of any corporate executive.”
They got into the helicopter, where Lily and Mate were confined to a cage.
“Tell me something, lass…” Lily spoke by noticing Allison coming in. “You really meant those words about the employees, or you were just messing with your goon?”
“No talking in the cage!” Karl screamed and hit the bars with his handgun, producing a real loud thump. “And you will address me as Sir!”
“When I want your opinion, I’ll most surely ask.” Allison retorted, speaking to Karl. “For now, just take your seat and consider your next business moves, which in your case means how many times you can shift position in your office chair. Now sit your ass down, Sir.”
Karl cursed under his breath and sat down.
They all buckled up, except for Mate and Lily since they were in chains, and the air vehicle departed.
Amy did not take her eyes off Karl. Such look was strangely stirring him up.
“You have to forgive Karl over there.” said Allison, now talking to Lily. “Occasional surges of testosterone cause him to try to show efficiency the only way he can, by thundering over underdogs and kissing management ass. Lord, how I hate those kinds.”
“I can see that!” Lily said genuinely impressed. “You do seem to have a shred of sense in you. How come you’re part of this mess?”
“My father was always the prototype of the common man and his story a pretty ordinary one,” Allison spoke “broke his back his whole life, taking shit from bosses, all for no money. He had to live on wages. Well, how could he put some money aside to have fun with mom when he got a family to support? But he always put food in our table and clothes on our bodies. I admired him for that.”
“That is something we have in common then.” Lily spoke. “Cause I also admired my hard working father.”
“Yes, but the similarities stop there.” Mate observed and turned to Allison. “Anyway, you do know what it means to be at the base of the social pyramid.”
“I most certainly do.” Allison responded. “That’s why I don’t want any part of that life anymore. I sympathize with the workers because of my dad. I treat them right, but I don’t ever want to be in their shoes. Believe me, unlike many people in my position, I went a long way to get here and I won’t end up like daddy.”
“You were right before, Mate.” Lily said to her friend. “That’s when the similarities between her and me stop, because I’m fighting very hard to be like my dad.”
“And you are, Lil. You are.”
“Anyhoo, this is of no consequences now.” Allison concluded. “Sooner than you think, I’ll be more than happy to control you, and you’ll be even happier to be controlled by me.”
13th MOVEMENT
“So far, it doesn’t seem so scary.” Ike said, looking at the top of some run-down, abandoned buildings.
“They might have just misinterpreted the legends.” Ivy spoke. “Maybe the reason why people never leave this place is because it’s too nice.”
“Hey look, a dog!” Jill said and began to walk.
Ivy held her arm.
“Hum, I think you’d better not, honey.”
In the near distance, a mongrel like creature was staring directly at them.
“Perhaps we should try to find something to eat…” Ike suggested.
“What worries me is that thing over there might have the same idea.” Ivy spoke.
The creature started to growl.
“Let’s calmly walk in the opposite direction…” Ike murmured.
The mongrel projected his body forward in a mad dash toward the humans, barking like a rabid dog and drooling through several sharp fangs.
“RUN!”
Ike lifted the girl the best way he could and they all ran into a nearby shed. Ike shut the door close only seconds before the creature jumped on him. But the monster kept hitting the structure.
“This thing won’t hold much longer.” Ike said.
“What the heck is that?” Ivy asked breathless.
“I don’t know. It’s not a zombie creature, not the way it gasps.”
“Well, it’s not a dog either.”
“The important thing is we’ll be safe here for a while, so we can think of…”
He was interrupted by the sound of more growls and gasps. Ike and Ivy turned around, only to find eight more of the same creature trying to break into. Their sizes and colors varied slightly, but they all looked real angry, pointed teeth showing.
“Don’t move.” Ike whispered.
“Do you think they’ll play dead if we ask them?” Ivy said.
“I believe it’ll be the other way around.”
“Over here!” Jill screamed by a ladder that led to an elevated platform.
“Good girl.” Ike said.
The couple ran to where Jill was, with the monsters after them. One of the mongrels jumped, its drooling mouth missing Ivy’s head by an inch. They climbed the ladder, Ivy first, then her boyfriend. Jill was already on top.
“Hurry!” Ike screamed.
One of the beasts reached his boot and bit it strongly. In despair, Ike hit the monster head with his other boot. The creature would not let him go. Other mongrels were jumping, trying to reach the man.
“Ike!” Ivy shouted.
Jill found a pipe and threw it at the dog biting Ike. The creature fell on top of two others, giving Ike a chance to keep on climbing. They reached the platform and Ivy kicked the ladder down, hitting more mongrels.
“Thanks, little one!” Ike said to Jill.
The girl responded with a salute.
“Are you alright?” Ivy asked Ike, caressing his temples.
“I guess so. Ah, damn it!”
“What? Are you bit or something?”
“No, but take a look at this! That stupid creature scratched my boot!”
“So what? Better than your leg!”
“These are very special cowboy boots, very unique and all!”
“You e-mail ordered them!”
“And it was a great deal!”
“At least they are resistant.”
“Now we need to find a way out of here.”
“Yes, and I take back what I said.” Ivy spoke. “This place is not nice.”
“We have to go back to that drain pipe and out of this dump.”
“This way!” Jill said.
The little girl was standing by a window.
“Be careful, peach.” Ivy
told her.
She and Ike walked to the window.
“Okay, that dumpster down there is our best shot.” Ike determined.
“It’s too high.” Ivy pointed out.
“We have no choice.”
The dumpster they saw sat beyond a chicken wire fence that separated two individual properties.
“Those critters can’t get to us there.” Ike said.
He kneeled down by Jill and held the girl’s arms with both hands.
“Listen, darling,” he gently said “I know you’re scared and all, but…”
Before he could utter another peep, the girl ran and jumped out of the window.
“Oh no!” Ivy cried.
The couple looked down through the window. Jill was safe and sound on the dumpster, waving at them.
“Come on!” She screamed.
“I was going to tell her to do exactly that.” Ike spoke. “Well, you’re next, babe.”
“Okay…” Ivy said hesitantly. “Stay there!” She shouted to the little girl.
The woman climbed on the window ledge and stood upon it, trying hard to keep balance and avoid a premature fall.
“Oh boy…” Ivy spoke. “They don’t teach this at rock ‘n’ roll school!”
“We’ve never been to a rock ‘n’ roll school, honey.”
“My point exactly.”
The mongrels below were hitting and biting the wooden poles holding the platform. Ike heard some very frightening cracking sounds.
“You really need to go, Ivy.”
She plunged and landed on the dumpster, beside Jill.
“I’m okay.” Ivy said. “Your turn!” she shouted to her boyfriend.
Ike was about to climb the window ledge, but the whole platform collapsed under his feet. Ivy and Jill could not see him.
“What happened?” Ivy screamed in despair. “Ike! Are you there? Are you coming?”
Nobody appeared at the window above.
“Something is wrong!” Ivy said with tearful eyes. “I have to go back there!”
Jill held her hand and pressed it.
“Look!” The girl said, pointing a forefinger up.
Ike’s head became visible. He seemed to be putting quite an effort to pull his body up with his hands and arms. He finally managed to steady himself on the ledge and jumped.
The man hit the dumpster, but lost balance and rolled to the floor.
“Jesus!” Ivy said and went to him. “Are you alright?” She helped him standing up.
“This is not for people with arthritis!” Ike commented.
“What happened up there?” Ivy queried.
“The whole thing tumbled down.” Ike replied “Very bad quality wood. Certain guys cut corners on everything! I bet they didn’t even bother treating that crap against termites and mutant dogs.”
“Come here, you big dumb!”
Ivy hugged Ike as tightly as she could.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” She yelled at her boyfriend and kissed him passionately in the mouth.
“Very touchy!” a man in rags spoke.
Ivy and Ike turned to him startled.
“Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” The man said.
“Not really.” Ike replied.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My brothers and sisters call me the Boss, for that’s what I am.”
“Nice meeting you.” Ivy responded coldly. “We have to go.”
“So soon?” the Boss said. “I haven’t got a chance to show you around.”
“Maybe some other time” Ike replied. “Bye.”
The Boss raised a hand and waved. In a few seconds, several men and women came from all directions and surrounded Ike, Ivy and Jill, some of them pointing handguns at the couple and the little girl.
“Afraid I can’t let you go.” The Boss declared.
Another man came from behind Jill, wrapped a muscular arm around the girl’s midsection and lifted her.
“Let me go! Let me go!” Jill screamed angrily.
“This wild cat here will do fine!” said the man.
“Hey!” Ike ran to help Jill, but a woman held a pistol against his face, making him stop.
“Let her go, Zock.” The Boss ordered the man holding Jill. “There’ll be plenty of time for this later.”
Zock twisted his lips into a scowl but released the girl. She ran straight to Ivy, who held her tight in her arms.
“What’s all this?” Ike queried.
“We are the Residents.” The Boss answered. “And you are in our little heaven now.”
“What do you want?” Ivy asked.
“We want you. I’ve just received word from my man in the sewer that you guys were in town.”
“Your man in the sewer?” Ike frowned.
“Oh yes.” The Boss responded. “The big tube you crossed to get in here. Very stupid of you to come, you should’ve listened to the old geezer. But now that you’re here, there’s no point in wasting your stay. You’re coming with us.”
People with guns pushed Ike, Ivy and Jill, forcing them to walk with the rest of the group.
14th MOVEMENT
“What do you mean control and be controlled?” Lily faced Allison.
“I guess the terms explain themselves.” Allison answered.
“You guys suffer from the same obsession.” Lily said. “It’s all about control. Well, you’d better be ready to fight a lot of insurgencies. People won’t accept your terms, unless you give them freedom.”
“Freedom!?” Allison frowned harshly at Lily. “Oh please, not you too! I was really expecting more from you!”
Lily frowned back at her, not understanding the woman’s angry reaction.
“You regurgitated the word like puke!” Allison continued. “I doubt you even know what it means! Have we ever had freedom?”
“I guess!” Lily retorted.
“One, two, you were born…” Allison recited, nearly singing. “Three, four, go to school. Five, six, kick yourself out of home. Seven, eight, have kids of your own. Nine, ten, start over again!”
“Do you want a fiddle to go with this?” Mate asked.
“A user guide for dummies would be more appropriate.” Allison replied. “And I believe you get my meaning. We are slaves to a system since the day we’re born. Rich, poor, middle class, never mind ‒ the system is all around you. Do something slightly different and you’re either casted away or ridiculed.”
“And who is this system?” Lily queried.
“It’s always been us.” Allison answered “Even before the zombie plague. You just never knew it. We’ve always told you what to eat, what to drink, what to buy, where to go, how to feel, who to have sex with, and more recently we’ve told you what to breathe and the results are snarling down there. That’s freedom for you.”
“And what are you?” Lily asked.
“We got many names along the years.” Allison responded with a grin. “You can call us Big Government, Powers that Be or, in our more particular and stylish vernacular, the Undertaking.”
“So we heard.” Mate whispered.
“That’s the last thing Shane said before I sent her on a cruise straight to hell.” Lily completed.
“And she totally had it coming, the silly egomaniac thing.” Allison said.
“So, you’re saying that you’ve been pulling everybody’s strings since the dawn of times.” Lily spoke incredulous.
“Not since the dawn of times,” Allison replied “but surely when technology allowed us to. And don’t pretend you’re surprised. Global communication just made it so much easier to manipulate your will.”
Lily and Mate faced the woman.
“In fact, the only freedom you ever had was the possibility of reproducing at will.” Allison continued. “And see what you did with such freedom ‒ overpopulation, Earth resources coming to an end, global warming, pollution, Permafrost melting, carbon dioxide poisoning, so on and so forth. The children you so much ins
isted in bringing to this world would be elbowing each other in overcrowded cities while fighting for food, if it wasn’t for us. Somebody had to do something and we did. We saved you from yourselves.”
“Now you’re definitely sounding like Shane.” Lily observed.
“No, I’m not.” Allison retorted. “Shane wanted worship and spotlight to go along with the results. I don’t care for fame. Getting things done is more than enough for me.”
“Tell this to your hair stylist.” Mate said.
Lily couldn’t resist and laughed.
Allison stared at Mate for a few seconds.
“Very witty of you” The elegant lady said.
“We’re almost there.” The pilot announced. “Need the final coordinates.”
“If you excuse me…” Allison stood up and went to the cockpit.
“Tell this to your hair stylist…” Lily spoke to Mate “Very good one, partner! You’re already making jokes badass style!”
“Yes. You can use that one on my epitaph.” The reddish man sighed.
Apocalily Series (Book 2): The Almighty Lady of Tomorrow Page 10