A Broken World (Book 2): Shattered Paradise

by Lauck, Andrew

  That came out wrong, but you know what I mean. I really don’t think straight when I’m pissed.

  I reached the top rail and hoisted myself over, landing with a wet splat like I stepped in a puddle. The crowd ran in panic, trying to be anywhere but where I was. I had no beef with them, except for their sadistic views on entertainment, so I pushed through them. Besides, I had more important things to focus on, like the man currently shoving his followers out of the way.

  Leader was in such a haste that he pushed one of his group over the rail, sending them to the concrete below. They landed wrong and I heard bones break, which brought on another wave of crazed screaming, but I ignored the urge to look. This man had put me through hell, brought out the absolute worst in me, and I would see him pay.

  He made it to the door into the next cell block, pulling out his key with urgency. I spotted several men moving toward me, probably more guards, but I didn’t pause for a second. The first stepped in my path of scorched earth, which was a huge mistake, and threw a punch. I caught his hand on the outside and pushed down on his elbow, sending his face into the top rail and knocking him unconscious before I threw him over the side.

  I took down the next guard, throwing him over the edge of the rails when I was done breaking his arm. The last two guards attacked simultaneously, striking high and low at once. I dove at the one who chose high, catching him in the stomach and knocking the air from his lungs as we hit the ground. Before he could suck in another gasp, I leaned up and snapped a chop to his neck while rolling his head under my other arm. Bringing my elbow down on his exposed trachea ended that conversation, as his throat caved in.

  His friend kicked me in the back, sending me to the ground, but I rolled forward and came up in a defensive stance. He was already closing in, his momentum carrying him too close, when I stood. I stomped on his outstretched foot and threw my body into a kick that cracked his knee and ankle in different directions. I let him fall to the ground and waited for another attack that never came before entering the next cell block over.

  These cells were clearly the living quarters, full of luxury and color. The bright carpets and paintings on the walls gave a drastic contrast from the gray of concrete everywhere, but it all seemed so fake and out of place. Maybe for them this place was a home to be content with, but for me all this place represented was bloodshed and anger.

  I couldn’t wait to destroy it.

  Leader continued to run, taking a right at the end of the walkway, and I hurried to chase after him, pushing people out of my way with force. Up ahead, I could see two more guards rushing at me, both looking like former linebackers, but I didn’t plan to stop now.

  They came at me as one, pinning my arms and tackling me into the rail. I felt my weight carrying me over, but I tucked one of my feet underneath the bottom rail and pulled. My body swung back down and I used the momentum to throw myself into one of the guards, sending us both flying into a cell. We landed on a wooden table, which broke under our combined weight, and I rolled away.

  The other guard came in, catching me from behind while my attention was on the first guard, and tucked his forearm against my throat in a sleeper hold. I felt the oxygen loss almost immediately and tried to inhale, knowing if I didn’t escape quickly I’d be done. The other guard stood and got a few shots in on my exposed stomach, knocking more breath from my lungs and threatening stars in my vision, but I stayed focused on getting out of the hold.

  Reaching up and grabbing the guard’s forearm with both hands, I lifted my legs up and kicked out, catching the second guard in the chest and sending him back into a metal chair. The first guard didn’t budge, keeping me upright, so I used the momentum when I came down to throw him over my shoulder.

  To my surprise, he didn’t let go, choosing to land squarely on his back and drag me down with him. Holding back a curse to keep what little breath I still had in, I searched the ground until I spotted something. Keeping one hand on the guard’s arm and trying to pry him loose, I reached out blindly, patting the ground with my hand until I felt something brush against it.

  Just a little more, I thought, willing my fingers to extend further. I wiggled it between my fingers and pulled, sliding it along the floor until I could grab it with my hand. The second I felt it against my palm, I shoved it behind my head, catching the guard in the neck. He cried out, but didn’t let go, so I pulled it out and stabbed again, seeing in my peripheral vision that it was a broken table leg. Working it into the wound, he finally released his hold on my neck as my vision started going dark.

  I rolled off of him and coughed, rubbing my throat and trying to catch my breath. The second guard had other plans, though, and came at me, kicking me in the side and sending me back into the walkway. People were still running and screaming, but they mostly maneuvered around me as I stayed low and crawled forward.

  Two hands grabbed me by the back of my shirt and threw me into the next cell over, my back slapping against the wall before I hit the ground.

  “Oh, shit,” I coughed out, but there was little time to think as I felt movement near me. Flipping over to a sitting position, I threw up my arms to block his next kick and rebounded off the wall again. Glancing to my left, I grabbed a pair of scissors from the desktop next to me and stabbed it into his oncoming foot.

  He yelled out and jerked his foot back, giving me a chance to stand and brace myself against the wall. As he stumbled and pulled the scissors out of his arch, I pushed off the wall and tackled him with all my strength, bouncing him against the opposite wall. He went to catch himself, but when he planted his injured foot, the pain flared up and he fell.

  Looking around, I grabbed the nearest thing to me and smashed into his head with an opened can of beef stew. The hardened aluminum knocked his head to the side, but I made sure he wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon with a few more servings to the skull. Before I resumed my pursuit of Leader, I checked the first cell and saw the guard bleeding out on the floor. Knowing he wouldn’t be coming after me anytime soon, I ran down the walkway and followed the turn I’d seen Leader take.

  Every instinct was alive and I was tired of being on the defensive. I was going to hunt him down and show him the real me.

  Chapter 78

  Two Stories Enter, Only One Leaves

  I was sprinting after Leader, heading down corridors and winding deeper into the prison. With no idea how far behind I was after his head start, I had no choice but to keep moving. The confines of the hallways were claustrophobic, which meant every sound was magnified. As I turned a corner, I heard heavy breathing up ahead and knew I was getting close.

  Pushing my body forward, I caught sight of him disappearing into a room on the right. Reflexively, I checked my corners and spotted Leader standing at the far end of the room with his back to me. I stepped inside cautiously, double checking that we were alone as I entered.

  Boxes were stacked to one side, several of them cut open to reveal various ammunitions and explosives. This must have been the prison’s armory before everything fell apart, now claimed by Leader and filled with boxes of his spoils from raids. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate a weapon to use any of it against him.

  “I was a librarian, you know. Surrounded by stories better than mine, responsible for an incredible amount of information that so few respected. When everything fell apart, though, that knowledge saved my life. And now? Look at all that I have achieved, Eric, the story I have created.” He spread his arm and inhaled deeply.

  “You sewed people’s mouths shut and locked them away as a warning. You forced people to fight each other for your amusement, and convinced a bunch of people that was normal. The only thing you achieved here was insanity.” Leader exhaled sharply and lowered his voice.

  “My guards are dead, I assume?” He placed his hands on the desk in front of him.

  “Not sure about a couple, but mostly, yeah.” Something in his hand caught my eye, so I moved in closer.

  “We both know what you�
�ve become now, Eric. You gave in to your natural instincts once you were pushed hard enough. I know you came to kill me, but you really should be thanking me.”

  “Right, because we’re such good friends now,” I answered dryly, taking another step toward him. He wheeled around and brought up a handgun, my handgun, firing blindly. Luckily, I was close enough that he didn’t get a chance to aim.

  I slapped his hand down and away, getting a hold of his wrist and pushing him back against the desk. He wasted two more rounds before I twisted the Sig out of his grip, but I had to give him credit. Leader was persistent, as he reached under his shirt and brought up my Ka-bar.

  He pushed off from the desk and sent us both to the ground, saliva dripping from his mouth as he pushed down on the blade with his body weight. I caught a hold of his hand and put my forearm against his, but I could feel the tip of the blade inching closer to my skin.

  “I’m a little glad it came to this, Eric. I’ve learned all I could from you and now, more than ever, everyone will see why I am in charge. After I’m done with you—” I removed my forearm from his, letting the tip of the knife sink dangerously close to breaking skin, and shoved my thumb as hard as I could into his right eye. He cut off in mid-monologue, his delusions of grandeur taking a backseat to the cries of pain he was letting out. I pushed in until blood spurted out, adding another pattern to the Jackson Pollock that was my shirt, and he rolled away from me.

  I stood up, ready for him to try again. He turned around and slashed at me, but I stayed to his blind side and out of reach. When he stabbed forward, I sidestepped the blade and moved in with a jab to his trachea. He coughed for air, dropping the knife and clutching at his throat, but I followed up with a right hook that sent him sprawling to the floor.

  “You know, you’re not the first person I’ve had to teach a lesson like this. I met a guy named Dawes a while back, a real asshole that thought he owned the new world. Cannibalism, sadistic games, kidnapping people…You two would have probably been great friends.” I walked over to the desk and found my pack and weapons, rearming myself as Leader tried to stand. The only thing missing was the M4, but it was empty so I was better off without it. My coat was missing from the pile, but my jacket was there so I carefully removed my bloody T-shirt and zipped the jacket over my torso.

  “As much as you know, you’ve learned nothing about the tenacity of the human spirit. And you sure as hell haven’t learned everything about me.” I picked up my Sig from the ground and shot him in the kneecap, sending him back down, before sliding the weapon into my holster.

  “I don’t know if I’m a hero or a villain, man or monster, but I do know one thing.” I crouched down, pulling him up by his collar to make sure he focused. “You created a world where people would follow your every word, believe in this twisted fantasy, and you thought you were untouchable. Do you know the best part about building this tower as high as you did?” I leaned in next to his ear, dropping my voice. “It means there’s that much more I get to pull down on top of you when I keep my promise.”

  It took a long time, and even more effort, but I started dragging him by his arms. Most of his people were smart enough to be scarce, having fled the prison by then, so I had a clear path down the hallways. Every time I saw a cable or pipe, I ripped it out of the wall or cracked it open, smelling gas start to fill the rooms. As I came onto the balcony, I saw Jessica by the locked door below. Buried somewhere deep within, I saw a glimmer of hope appear in her eyes as I tossed Leader’s keys down to her.

  She hurried to unlock the door to her cell floor and she was joined by the other prisoners, all coming up the stairs to help me carry Leader toward the entrance. We followed the arrows on the walls until we reached the final turn for the entrance. There were various reactions, from excited screams to blatant tears, but I wore a mask of apathy as I slid Leader against the wall and let his arms go.

  Looking down the hall, I could see the light poking in through the door.

  “You have so much to atone for, but I hate proving your idea of me right. Even now, I almost want to walk away and let you live.” Half-asleep from blood loss, Leader’s remaining eye cracked open and he grinned through the pain.

  “I created something inside you, Eric, a monster that will always reside just below the surface. Whether you kill me or walk away, I’m already right.”

  “I’m going to give you what you want. I’m going to make an example of your story and bury you in all that you’ve accomplished. When people see that pile of rubble, with your sorry ass somewhere underneath, maybe they’ll think twice about having delusions of power.” I met his eyes and saw hatred, so I smiled. “It will be a cautionary tale.”

  I stood and ignored anything he would have said, reaching into my pack and withdrawing three fragmentation grenades that I took from his armory. I planted two of them against the wall around him, telling everyone to go. Jessica waited for me to walk out with her, and we stopped at the door. I held up the last grenade and handed it to her, placing my hand over hers.

  “You never have to tell me, but I know you went through hell in there. It’s not much, but this belongs to you.” Jessica looked up at me, tears pooling in her eyes, but she swallowed whatever she wanted to say.

  Instead, she pulled the pin and tossed the grenade between Leader’s legs. She grabbed my hand and we walked outside together, pushing through the door and feeling the sun’s rays hit our faces. I closed my eyes and let the warmth wash over us, along with a cool breeze, feeling almost like a cleanse of our souls. The grenades went off behind us, a muffled triple explosion that triggered a chain reaction throughout the prison. Smaller explosions went off along the pipelines, destroying the prison from the inside out, and caused the structure to buckle. The ceiling caved in and, for a moment, I thought it was over, but patience is a virtue. Concrete, rebar, various metal scraps, and anything else that was inside exploded outward, sending waves of smoke skyward with a massive roar. The shockwave knocked me on my ass, which wasn’t the coolest scene, but it was worth it to see the relief on Jessica’s face, along with a brief laugh.

  I had seen enough movies to go back inside and check to make sure Leader was dead, so don’t worry about a plot twist or a cliffhanger. Leader was definitely gone, crushed under the weight of all his power and a shit-ton of concrete. I had found Jessica, escaped the arena, and I would hopefully soon find Katherine. I couldn’t help but feel like everything was starting to come together.

  Or was it…?

  Just kidding. Seriously, no cliffhanger here. With the sun hanging low and sunset imminent, we set out from the prison in quiet determination.

  Chapter 79

  Day 222 (Unknown date +22)

  Most of the prisoners decided to go their own way, but a few stayed with me and Jessica for that first night. I think the idea of being alone in darkness terrified them now, and I can’t say I blamed them. I’d only been in that arena for a little over a week and I felt like someone had reached inside me and twisted my guts around, pulling out any traces of humanity they found. Jessica set up a shift schedule and the rest of us hit the sack. The second my head hit the dirt and I closed my eyes, I passed out and finally let my body rest. Two hours doesn’t sound like a lot, but damn did it feel good.

  When I woke up for my shift, the sky was pitch black and I sat next to the fire, staring into the flames as the temperature dropped. Jessica couldn’t sleep and came to sit down next to me, the shadows of the fire dancing over her face. We sat there in silence for a while, watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary. I never found out what she had to do to survive in there, and I didn’t ask, but I could tell it shook her faith in humanity to the core, as it had mine. I reached in my pack and pulled out an MRE, tapping the bag on her arm. She took it and began to eat, going through the motions without caring about the taste.

  “We tried to take you with us, you know.” I glanced at her, but she stayed focused on the crackling fire. “Your heart stopped and t
he medics used the paddles, shocked you back to life. You were dead for a full minute, Eric.” Her eyes darted to mine, gauging my reaction. I didn’t have one, though. If anything, it felt like I died in that arena, just like Leader had said.

  “A horde of zombies came into the compound from the water, catching us by surprise. I stayed with you in the medical tent, but I could hear the gunfire outside. And the screams…” She blinked away traces of a tear and clenched her jaw. “Matheson gathered the forces and held them back, repelling borders while the civilians escaped. We wheeled you out and I tried to join the ranks, but he told me to stay with you and Katherine. We worked fast, getting as many supplies as we could, and left the compound.”

  “Matheson?” I asked, but I could tell the answer by her dark expression.

  “There were so many of them, Eric. You should’ve seen it. By the time we were leaving, the zombies were pouring out of the water by the hundreds. I don’t know if anyone could have made it out alive, but I know he wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.”

  “With guys like that, it’s in their nature.” A hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth, disappearing as quickly as it had come.

  “Guys like you.” I almost took that as flirting, but it was bad timing and we were all tired. She continued, talking faster like she was embarrassed. “Anyway, the compound fell and we were on our own. Two days later, we ended up around Brookville, Indiana. You still hadn’t woken up, or even opened your eyes, and we found a car…” I took her hand in mine and she looked at me.

  “It’s okay, Jessica. I promise, it’s okay. I know you wouldn’t have left me without a good reason.” She nodded and wiped her eyes.

  “When we brought you into a warehouse, you opened your eyes for a second and I tried to tell you I’d come back. That the plan was to find a safe location to leave you, take the car, and bring back help or a bigger vehicle. But you passed out again and I wasn’t sure if you were even awake in the first place.”