by Peter Okafor
“We will find a way, I promise. We always do,” Runner replied.
Big Eddy laughed. “Do you know what I did back in the big city? I repaired broken things, from plumbing to wristwatches and surveillance equipment. It was enough to ensure my survival in a city of great expectations. I always followed a set of rules to keep safe in our volatile society, and one of them was that I must always look out for myself. I never did anything for anyone.”
Runner sat opposite big Eddy, resting his back on a tree trunk.
“Don’t beat yourself up. The rule applies to everyone, not just you. People have forgotten how to care for each other.”
“But not you, Runner.” Eddy chimed in. “You have not forgotten, have you? When I traded the gallows for the Remnants of Men, I thought I had a true chance to be free. When I saw my competitors and you, I said to myself, what chance does a sixteen-year-old kid—”
“Seventeen,” Runner cut in.
“Seventeen-year-old kid stand in this extremely dangerous wasteland I have heard so much bad shit about. But then, you went back for the others when they were captured by the man hunters. For the first time, I believed, and I was ashamed for never having done anything for anyone.”
“Where are you going with this?” Runner asked.
Big Eddy stretched forward his left hand, and Runner saw the wristband around his wrist flashing with a red light.
“Your band is active.” Runner stood up.
Eddy nodded. “It has been active all along. They have been watching our entire actions, stupid, smart, and violent. But I de-activated it for a while to hide it from the slavers that captured me. Now it is active again. This is my gift to you. Let me meet my end knowing I did something for someone.”
The clattering hooves of horses grew in the distance. Runner cast his gaze far in the night’s blackness. He knew they were coming, and it definitely proved Makukku was not satisfied with his offerings of Dope and Ishmael.
“Come on, let’s get going.” Runner stretched his right arm towards big Eddy.
The man refused his assistance and remained on the floor.
“Come on!” Runner screamed.
“You go on, Runner. I will try to hold them off as long as I can and pray that help comes for you. The Remnants of Men was about a freshwater lake, and you found it. Now, it’s time you find freedom.”
Runner squatted, his eyes dead with gloom. “Freedom!” he said. “Who are we kidding? After everything I have been through, I don’t believe the Remnants of Men was about freedom. Was it worth the life of more than half our company? I saw the life go out the eyes of those boys and girls. Forgive me if choose to believe there must be something more than freedom.”
Eddy laughed again. “I will tell you why I was imprisoned, and you will understand better, but I don’t believe I have the time. Remember, if you make it out of here, they will make you look like a hero. They will slap your face on the digital screens of the tallest buildings. They will try to change you, but always remember why you were here. It’s all about freedom. Do not remove one shackle only to replace it with another. Now, get out of here.
“Go on!” Eddy yelled.
Runner lingered on, standing over the plump man like a tree that had withstood years of obstinate winds and hailstorms.
“Go on…” Eddy’s voice mellowed to a cry.
“I can’t. I have a lot of deaths on my head. Please don’t ask me to add yours to the list.” Runner stretched his arm forward again.
“You will have to,” Eddy said.
He pulled the leg of his pants upwards until it reached his knee. Runner studied him carefully and then saw a sharp stick that had punctured into Eddy’s ankle. Blood clotted around the wound, and the stink proved it was not a recent injury.
“When?” Runner’s voice was a whisper.
“A few hours ago.” Eddy pulled down the leg of his pants. “It is already infected. I can never make it out of here, but you can. You found the water. People will see you differently now, and how you use that power is up to you. Go on, my friend. Let me do what I can for you.”
Runner grabbed Big Eddy’s wristband, the red light flashing like a firefly in his hand. He looked ahead of him and saw the fires from torches in the dark distance. His gaze strayed to Big Eddy again, reluctant to leave him there, but he knew it was the right thing to do.
It was all about the freshwater lake. It was all about freedom. It was all about a little glimmer of hope in dark days. Runner turned away from him and took a step forward yet couldn’t help but glance back at his friend.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
“It was a hard fight, Runner. It still is. Now, run…go!”
Runner jumped a log of wood that lay on his path and began to run towards the lake. He ran through shrubs and thick ferns, past large oaks and tall cedars. His feet plunged into the puddled water, wet and slippery, but he continued, running and heaving as sticks and twigs snapped beneath his feet. He ran like his back was on fire and frequently turned to see if his pursuer was gaining on him.
The fires from the torches were not far behind, and the hooves of the horses tormented him with a wave of fear. He knew they were gaining on him. He heard their voices and in confusion, tripped on a fallen branch, forcing him to fall against a tree. He pulled himself away from the rugged oak and touched his shoulder to feel the warm blood streaming from a cut.
“Anytime now.” Runner glanced at the flashing wristband.
He raised his gaze ahead and stumbled onto the grassy shore of the lake. Quickly, he halted, standing in front of the dark body of water. The wind curled around his skin, cool but not exactly comfortable with the men chasing him behind.
He heard the clattering and turned around to see the clay-skins charging their horses to jump out of the woods. They came further and rode in circles around him. Beads of sweat gathered on Runner’s face, dripping down his naked torso.
“It was a bold move, Runner. Sacrificing your comrades like that,” a voice said.
Makukku, Runner thought as he recognized the voice that had haunted him.
The large man was on a black horse. He urged it to trot forward until he reached Runner. There was something tied to the side of his horse. Runner noticed the ropes tied to the hair of something he believed was someone’s head. Bile rose up his throat in bitter anger for he knew his friend was certainly dead.
“I did not kill your daughter!” Runner shouted.
Makukku came down his mount. The bones that adorned the large man’s clothing rattled as he walked forward with an axe on his hand. His steps were menacing like a lion prowling towards its prey. He threw the axe, and it landed at Runner’s foot.
“Pick it,” the man uttered grimly.
Runner bent down, stretching his arm to reach for the axe. He paused and glanced at the river. His task was completed; there was no use fighting anymore. He was tired of fighting nature, fighting its cruel inhabitants. All he had to do now was survive. It all comes down to survival, doesn’t it?
He went past the axe and picked a handful of dust, throwing it at Makukku’s eyes. The large man reeled backwards, giving Runner ample time to make a turn and head towards the river. Arrows darted past him in terrifying swoosh, and then he heard it.
They heard it too. Everyone paused, raising their gaze to the night’s sky. There, black helicopters made their way towards the bank with great speed, flooding the lake with their bright lights. They hovered around for a moment and began to make their descent on the banks.
The horsemen dragged Makukku back into the woods as the man screamed and shouted curses upon Runner.
Spectres from Section 5 descended the aircraft. They came towards Runner with high-powered rifles in hand.
“Identity!” a spectre shouted over the noise from helicopter blades.
Runner glanced at Eddy’s flashing wristband, and then raised his gaze to meet the spectre. “Capricorn,” he said.
The spectre glanced back at
the lake with a smile. “Great job, Capricorn.”
Two medics came with their first aid kit, and one of them—a woman—wrapped a blanket over Runner’s shoulder.
Even at his journey’s end, the taste of victory was a bitter ash. The anger in his heart was like none he had experienced. It felt like a blacksmith’s furnace blown to the highest temperature. His face was blank and expressionless, adorned by mud, dirt, and broken twigs caught in his hair. Somehow, he took comfort that it was over, but the horror had been branded on his mind.
“Okay, let’s get you home.” The woman put on a dainty smile.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Reddit Conspiracy
His eyes were shut tight in sleep, but in truth, his mind was bombarded with images of death and pain. There was blood, so much blood. He saw his hand covered in the red liquid. He felt it on his lips—the iron taste—harmless yet foreboding. Faces formed from darkness and smoke, taking shapes of those he had known: Dope, Jonny, Toad, Eddy, and Wynn. They looked so sad. Their dour gazes hinted at betrayal as their hands clenched their bleeding heart. What do they want from him?
What do they want from me?
What do they want from me?
Runner opened his eyes. He felt someone’s fingers running down his torso and grabbed it with his left hand. He jumped down from the hospital bed, his right hand going for the throat, pushing so hard until he pinned the person on the wall. He saw the strands of blonde hair on his hand and smelt the sweet fragrance of perfume.
A hand slapped weakly on his wrist. “Run…Runn…Runner!” The voice struggled.
“Let her go. Let her go, Runner.” Another voice followed.
The vagueness faded from his mind, and he saw himself pinning Olivia Patterson to the wall. He pulled his hand away, quickly and stared at her in confusion. His hands were trembling. Runner wobbled as he tried to move. He lost his footing and almost fell but for Olivia’s quick grasp to his arm.
She helped him to sit on the bed.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he said.
Olivia sat beside him on the bed and grasped his fingers together. “It’s okay. You were heavily sedated to help you rest.”
Runner studied the room. Observation had grown to be a habit to him. Everything was completely white in there—the soft sofa that stood opposite him, computers that monitored heart-rate, drips hanging above him, the walls, cabinet, and even the pants he was wearing. He noticed a girl sitting at one end, eyes vividly set upon him and hands glued to a tablet PC. He recognized her immediately. How could he forget the red hair, ponytail, and sexy geeky eyeglasses?
“Angel.”
She raised her gaze at him, and her lips curved to a smile.
“I thought you might have forgotten me,” she said.
Runner smiled. “I told you I was going to make it back, didn’t I?”
She smiled again and buried her head shyly. “You know, I was kinda out there with you most of the time.”
“Most of the time?”
“Halfway through,” she said. “Until the explosion, of course.”
“She was in charge of surveillance.” Olivia added.
“Right.” Runner sighed.
Olivia’s eyes were on his torso. She studied them with great keen. Her face shifted between myriads of expressions as she looked at his scars as if they held a certain mystery.
“It must have been really bad out there,” she muttered.
He stood up from the bed and pulled out the drip tubes attached to his arm. Gently, he walked across to a table where some clothes rested in neat folds. He picked a white vest and wore it over his torso.
“Alright,” Runner said. “I did what you asked. I joined the Remnants of Men. I found the damn freshwater lake. Now, it is time you hold up your end of the deal.”
“What would that be?” Olivia rose to her feet.
“Death Throe.” Runner stepped closer to her as his eyes locked with hers. “I have not forgotten what he did to my friend. Her ashes lay scattered in the sewers. She did not deserve that fate. Tell me who he is, and I would hold your end fulfilled.”
“You still don’t get it,” Olivia said.
Runner grabbed her arms with his hands and pushed her towards his chest. “You have no idea what I endured to get here. I must tie all loose ends. I have to.”
A woman came in through the door, accompanied by two spectres from Section 5. They halted halfway through, and the spectres snapped to attention holding their rifles to their chest.
“Forgive me, Ms. Patterson. We are here to escort Capricorn to debriefing,” the woman said.
“Just a minute.” Olivia smiled. She leaned forward to reach Runner’s ears. “It is not safe here. I promise to tell you everything soon,” she whispered.
Olivia turned around and walked towards the door, the heel of her shoes clattering on the floor. Angel followed quickly, scampering like an overworked secretary.
“This way, Capricorn.” The woman gestured to her left.
Runner dawdled forward. The moment the woman’s eyes were off him, he reached for a scalpel lying on a table beside him. He couldn’t help it. Somehow, he did not feel complete without his knives or any weapon. He reacted in reflex to any sudden movement by anyone he encountered, be it a gesture, a flinch, or sneeze. He was always on alert. The growing paranoia and mistrust had him on the edge, ready to stab anyone who made a silly move.
Partially satisfied with his hidden weapon, he followed as the spectres led the way. The woman turned around frequently to see if he was still behind her. Runner did not like her eyes. They looked a bit bizarre, made silvery by contacts. He never did like spectres either. Always thought they were overrated, holding their heads high and walking like robots. It was a good thing though, since he would have no second thoughts when it came down to stabbing their eyes with his blade.
“Are you okay?” The woman turned around for the sixth time.
Runner ignored her and scanned the passageway they walked, noticing the long lines of fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling and extremely white walls. Citadel workers walked up and down, busy as bees in their white lab coats.
“This way.” The woman pointed at a small room with tainted glass serving as an extremely large window.
Runner entered the room without hesitation and was directed to a seat behind a table. The room was cold, forcing him to shiver momentarily. Soon, two men entered the room and joined the woman. The first was a wiry man, dressed in a white suit with the sigil of goat’s horn embroidered in gold at the pocket on his left breast. The other was a fat man with a flowing garment that suited his figure.
They both sat on a seat in front of him, while the woman lingered at their side.
“These are Councillors Gaius Capricorn and Flavius Slim.” She pointed at them respectively. “They are here to serve as witness to your evaluation.”
Runner remained silent, staring at both men boldly.
The woman cleared her throat. “As you know, four of your original members returned unaccomplished. Unfortunately, they would be facing execution at the gallows.”
“Exe—what?” Runner leaned forward.
“I’m afraid due to their failure, their original sentence has been reinstated,” she said calmly.
“You can’t do that!” Runner slammed his fist on the table, drawing the attention of spectres standing guard at the doors.
“Enough said.” Gaius Capricorn chimed in. “We are here for you, Runner. What’s your last name again?”
“I don’t have any,” he replied.
“I see.” Gaius glanced at the lady, and she continued.
“In our first section of this debriefing, we would like to know of your encounter with the rabid men. How was your experience with the big oddity?”
“You mean the Butcher.” Runner raised his voice. “Are you fucking kidding me? The guy killed Wynn Rivers, tore him in half. But what do you care?”
“Answer the question, Runner,” th
e woman said.
He charged up from his seat. “I’m getting out of here.”
“Sit him down.” The woman ordered.
The spectres left their posts and marched towards Runner. They grabbed his arms and forced him to sit on the chair. One of them reached for the handcuffs at his belt and chained Runner’s wrists to the handles of the chair.
“Answer the question.”
Runner shook his head reluctantly. “I found the Butcher to be an extremely difficult opponent. His size and strength made him impossible to be defeated, and in such situation, the best course of action was to vacate the premises.”
“You mean run the other way?”
“If you put it that way.” Runner turned his face away.
The woman nodded in satisfaction and scribbled some words on her pad.
“Are you responsible for the deaths of your comrades: Dope Davis, Toad Cooper, and Eddy Chen?”
“Partially,” he answered.
Gaius gazed at Runner. “No need to panic. What you did out there was impressive. You showed real quality, leadership, strength, and true character—everything we have been searching for.”
“I found the lake, didn’t I? I want the freedom you promised me. I want my slate wiped clean.” Runner waited eagerly for their answer.
All he wanted was to get out as fast as he could and warn his friend of their imminent fates.
“The lake was a pre-requisite to something greater,” Gaius said. “Did you really believe that a simple water crisis would topple a government as great as ours? We could have ordered Section 5 to scour the wasteland at any time and find the lake even if it meant their deaths.”
Runner’s face was masked with disbelief. “What do you want from me?”
“The world is changing, Runner. In a fortnight, MegaCityOne would announce the commencement of an annual culling, our new programme to remove the dregs of society from those who are resourceful. Twenty MegaCities all over a ruined world competing for a place in a utopian paradise, a new world vision of the great Reinhardt Reddit, and we want to be ahead.”