Dark Apocalypse: A Post-Apocalyptic Family Saga

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Dark Apocalypse: A Post-Apocalyptic Family Saga Page 4

by Gabriel Alexander


  The boy had no choice but to. He stood up and started walking, while crying at the same time. When he reached the front of the class, the teacher opened a drawer in the right of the desk and took out a whip from it. She then approached the scared boy.

  “Maybe you would like to tell me why you disobeyed me and didn’t do your homework?” she said, while gently hitting her right palm with the whip and walking in circles around the boy. “Did you have something better to do?”

  “As a matter in fact, yes, madam, I did.”

  “Did you, now? And what exactly was it that you did, instead of doing your homework, thus disobeying your superior’s orders?”

  “I had to tend my mother’s wounds, madam. The guards beat her badly and I took care of her.”

  “What did you say?” the woman yelled. “How dare you accuse our well-disciplined, well-mannered, decent guardians of brutality against their own, you blasphemer?”

  She pulled his hair and bent his head backward.

  “Normally, I would only give you five lashes on your back for disobeying me, but because you dared to blaspheme against our well-disciplined guards and accused them of mistreatment, you will get double. Take off your clothes and face the wall. Now!”

  The boy took off his shirt and T-shirt. Then, he turned around, facing the wall, horrified about what was about to happen to him.

  “You…” the teacher said, pointing at another kid. “Count the blows.”

  “Yes, madam!” the little girl said.

  She then raised the whip and started hitting the poor boy with it, while the little girl was counting the blows. The other kids watched as the whip left deep marks on the boy’s skin. And the teacher seemed to enjoy it, since she was smiling at every blow, hearing the poor boy screaming from pain.

  After the fifth blow, Julie couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “That’s enough!” she yelled. “You are hurting him!”

  The teacher stopped and looked at her. So did the rest of the class. She walked slowly toward her desk.

  “Julie, right?”

  “Yes, madam!”

  “Well, Julie, since you are new here, I am going to give you a milder punishment for questioning the actions of your superiors.”

  The teacher then lifted the window up.

  “Put your hands on the edges.”

  Julie complied.

  “I want you to look at the picture on that building there.”

  Julie looked at the huge picture of a man painted on a building a few yards away.

  “That is the picture of our leader, Nick. He is everything to us, as I’m sure you’ve already learned from the oath you just heard. Now, a normal, civilized society obeys its leaders. How, you might ask? Simple. By obeying the laws that the leaders give. And, of course, by obeying those the said leader puts in the position of power. And you did the exact opposite today. Which is why, you will receive what a civilized society gives to a criminal: punishment.”

  The teacher slammed the window on her hands. Julie started crying in pain.

  “And let this be a reminder never to doubt your superior again,” the teacher said.

  ***

  Bill, Sophie and Thomas were still gathering potatoes on the plantation. The fact that the guards were hitting them from time to time wasn’t making their work any easier. Their sweat was dripping from them like a river, but they kept going, because they knew that if they stopped, they would be beaten.

  Next to Thomas, there was a young girl, about his age, dressed in a white, dirty dress, decorated with red dots. She had brown hair and blue eyes. And she was incredibly beautiful, despite her bruises and lacerations.

  She filled her bucket and was ready to take it to the barn and empty it. She got up, made a few steps and then, suddenly, she tripped and fell. The potatoes in the bucket spilled all over the place.

  “You stupid, incompetent bitch!” a guard shouted. He rushed at her, grabbed her hair and pulled her up. The girl started crying.

  “You are going to the pole,” the guard said.

  “No, please!” the girl begged.

  “Shut up!”

  “Hey!” Thomas yelled. “Leave her alone! She made a mistake. She is only human. Besides, they are just potatoes. We can pick them up. It’s not like they broke or something.”

  The guard looked at him.

  “Well, well, well… we’ve got someone with balls here.”

  He walked toward him.

  “First of all, kid, those are not just some potatoes. Those are everybody’s food, and she just proved she doesn’t give a damn about that by not handling them properly. Today, she drops the potatoes. Tomorrow, she drops the eggs. The day after tomorrow, she drops the water bucket. The day after, when we are under attack, she drops the ammo box, making us waste precious time collecting the ammo she couldn’t handle, time enough for the enemy to gain the upper hand. That’s right, kid. I see the bigger picture. Which is why I’m smarter than you. And second of all, since you obviously like her, for which I don’t blame you, since she is foxy, why don’t you share the pole with her, huh? She will be whipped for dropping the food, and you will be whipped for disrespecting your superior’s decisions.”

  The guard took his gun out of the holster and pointed it at both of them.

  “Come on! Let’s go!”

  They started walking. They reached in front of a pole, next to which there was a series of handcuffs. They were both stripped naked and handcuffed to the pole, one next to the other. Next to the pole, another guard was standing, waiting for the prisoners to approach.

  “You… take the whip.”

  The guard by the pole took the whip. Then, the other guard turned toward the people who were still working and started yelling:

  “Today you will see what happens when you disrespect your food and authorities. Whoever dares to close his eyes or look somewhere else will be next. You may proceed!”

  The guard with the whip in his hand started whipping Thomas and the girl. The girl started crying after the very first lash. Thomas, however, even though in pain, was only twitching. The crack of the whip sounded like it was getting stronger by every blow to the onlookers, whose faces were white with fear and disgust.

  Sophie and Bill watched the scene helplessly. Both of them wanted to kill the whole world at that moment in rage.

  ***

  Nick sat behind his desk, eating an apple. Suddenly, the door opened. A guard and a young woman with blonde hair and a black dress stood in the hallway.

  “There she is, sir,” the guard said.

  “Good!” Nick said. “Send her in and close the door!”

  “Yes, sir! Get in!” the guard said, pointing his gun at her.

  The girl walked in slowly and shaking. The guard closed the door and left.

  Nick got up from the desk, threw the rest of the apple in a garbage bin and approached the girl.

  “Oh, come on, there is no need for this,” Nick said. “Why so scared? What do you think is going to happen to you? End up killed? Come on, you will love it. Look, in order to make you feel better, why don’t I introduce myself to you?”

  “I already know who you are,” the girl said.

  “Yes, you know my name and my current position. But you know nothing about me.”

  He started walking across the room.

  “You didn’t know, for instance, that I am thirty-four years old, that I am a Virgo, that my favorite food is mashed potatoes with meat rolls and my favorite hobby is golf. There you go. Now it’s your turn.”

  “My name is Helen,” the girl started talking with a shaky voice. “I am twenty-seven. I am a Libra. My favorite food is pizza. My hobby is to collect pre-Alignment fashion magazines.”

  “See? Was it so hard? Are you still tensed?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “See? And remember… it’s an honor to be with the leader. Imagine how many girls will envy you throughout the community for spending the night with the beloved lead
er. Now come on… take off your dress.”

  “No, please!”

  “No, please what?”

  “I don’t want to do this. Please no!”

  “You don’t want to do what? You don’t want to be with me tonight?”

  “No. I’m begging you. Please, no!”

  Nick approached her and started touching her back.

  “Well, guess what…” he said. “You don’t get to decide what you want. I do.”

  He grabbed her hair and pulled her head backward. She started crying and grabbed his hand in an attempt to get rid of the grip.

  “I am the leader here. I decide what you want and don’t want. And if I say that you will be mine tonight, then, by God, you will be mine tonight.”

  He slammed her on the floor, facing downwards. He took his belt off and tied her hands with it.

  “No!” she kept screaming. “I’m begging you, no!”

  “Yes, oh yes!” he said.

  He ripped her dress out and unzipped his pants.

  “No!”

  ***

  Julie and Thomas were sitting in the house, front of the door, in the hallway. Suddenly, the entrance door opened. Their mom and dad were pushed inside by a guard. Then, the door closed.

  “Mommy, daddy!” Julie said, before jumping in their arms. “Thank God you’re okay.”

  “Yeah, thank God indeed,” Thomas said as well, after hugging them too.

  “Boy, we’re glad to see you!” Bill said.

  “What about you?” Sophie asked the kids. “Are you okay?”

  “No, mommy,” Julie said.

  She stretched her hands in front of her mother and showed her wrists. There were huge, blue bruises on them.

  “Jesus Christ! How did this happen to you?” Sophie asked her.

  “A bad lady slammed the window on my hands. It still hurts.”

  After hearing this, Bill turned his back on everyone and headed toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” Sophie asked him.

  “To do what you, for some reason, refused to do so far. I’m going to try to make a plan to get the hell out of here.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Bill. The curfew is on. If you are seen out of the house, you will be shot on sight and your heroic escape attempt will be over after only a few minutes.”

  “And when exactly do you suggest we should do something, Sophie? Huh? Look what they did to Julie. Look what they did to Thomas. Look what they did to me and you. And this is just day one. God knows what else lies ahead of us in the following days with these worse-than-Nazis psychopaths who can’t show compassion not even to four year-olds. Oh wait… why didn’t I think of this before? Perhaps you like the beatings they gave you today. Yeah, this must be it.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! I hate this place too. I can’t wait to get out of here too. But we need to know when to act.”

  “And when do you suggest we do that, Sophie? After we end up beaten to death for… I don’t know… not painting a fence properly? I don’t care what you will do now, but I know I won’t be joining you. I’m going to explore the area, and see if I can find a way out of this God-forsaken place.”

  Bill turned his back on everyone again and headed toward the door. But when he was about to touch the doorknob, Sophie made a step toward him.

  “Wait! If you are going to do this, you will need help. I’m coming with you.”

  “Thomas, take care of Julie. We’ll be back soon.”

  “You promise?”

  “We promise!”

  “Okay. Julie, why don’t we go upstairs, where I’ll read you a story?”

  “Yeah, yeah!”

  The group then split up. Thomas and Julie went upstairs and Bill and Sophie took a pair of binoculars and got out.

  It was about twelve o’clock “noon,” so the darkness still hung over the village. This is the factor which was making harsh times for the two. They could barely see anything in front of them or in any other direction for that matter. Which is why they had to increase the precaution factor.

  However, they didn’t let this inconvenience discourage them. They managed to sneak next to the in the center of town, where they could see all four ends of the wall and, with their binoculars at hand and helped by the torches on the wall, they started assessing the situation.

  “Okay,” Bill said, “I see twelve guards on the north side of the wall.”

  “I count sixteen on the southern side,” Sophie said.

  “Thirteen on the eastern side,” Bill said, a bit later.

  “Fourteen on the western side,” Sophie said, a few seconds later.

  “They are a lot. No way we can escape this place.”

  The torches on the walls made their efforts easier. They illuminated the prolonged night, giving them the advantage of seeing the guards easy. But this could also be a disadvantage, since they themselves, in their turn, could be seen.

  “Looks like they thought about potential fugitives,” Bill said.

  “There has to be a way out of here,” Sophie optimistically said. “Nothing is flawless. Not even this place.”

  Suddenly, they heard a gun cock behind them.

  “What are you doing here?” a voice from behind them said.

  The two turned around, only to see a guard pointing his M-16 at them.

  “What are you doing out after the curfew?” he asked them on a rough tone.

  Bill started to slur his words and dangle.

  “Well… we drank a lot… me and my wife and now… we don’t feel so good, so we decided to breathe some fresh air, you know…”

  “You don’t fool me,” the guard said. “If you were drunk, your breath would reek of alcohol. I’ll ask again: what are you doing out after the curfew?”

  After he barely finished asking the question, Bill and Sophie heard a blow coming from behind the guard. He then collapsed in front of them.

  From behind the fainted guard, Sierra stood with her M-16 in her hands, which this time, was not pointed at them anymore.

  “What is this?” Sophie asked. “Why did you do that? What’s going on? How did you know how to find us in the first place?”

  “I saw you leaving your house. I’ll explain everything later,” Sierra said. “Right now, all I can tell you is that I’m on your side and you have to come with me.”

  “Sure we do. What if it’s a trap?”

  “What kind of trap would involve knocking my own man unconscious? Use your logic, Sherlock. Now come on, before we are spotted by others.”

  “Where are we going?” Bill asked.

  “Your place, to take your kids. We wasted enough precious time. We have to move. Now!”

  The two complied and started following Sierra, sneaking and tip-toing silently.

  “Hold it!” Sierra suddenly said. “Run behind that house.”

  They ran behind a house to their left. Sierra then looked at the wall.

  “What’s going on?” Bill asked.

  “That asshole right there is looking in our direction.”

  Sierra pointed at one guard looking toward them.

  “All right. On three, we run.”

  The guard started turning around.

  “One… two…”

  The guard turned completely.

  “Three!”

  All three started running toward their house.

  They climbed the porch.

  “You open first,” Sierra said. “If they see me first, they’ll panic. Especially the little one.”

  Sophie opened the door slowly. She entered first, followed by Bill and Sierra. The house was completely dark.

  “Call them here!” Sierra told them.

  “Julie! Thomas!” Sophie yelled. “Come down stairs!”

  A few seconds later, they could hear a door squeaking, followed by footsteps on the stairs.

  “What is it, Mom? Wow! Holly shit, what’s going on here?” Thomas said.

  Julie hid behind Thomas.

  “What�
�s the bad lady doing here, Mommy?” she asked.

  “It’s okay, everyone. She is with us,” Bill said.

  “With us?!” Thomas asked. “How did that happen?”

  “We all need to go now, before we attract unwanted attention. I’m taking all four of you to a safe place. Let’s go!”

  “No, Sierra!” Sophie said. “I’m not making one more step until you tell me who you are, where are you taking us, and what are your plans with us.”

  Sierra went silent for a few seconds and then said:

  “Fine. I’m a member of a resistance group against Nick. We started a few months ago with just twenty men. Now there are two hundred of us.”

  “How come you weren’t caught?” Bill asked.

  “We have our ways to keep everything secret. The members have a secret code which they use to identify themselves in the crowd. Plus, we meet in an underground place that Nick doesn’t know about. The same place I wanted to take you to now.”

  “Where is this place?” Bill asked.

  “Somewhere next to the wall. And we must go now, before we attract unwanted attention. I’ll tell you more when we get there.”

  “I don’t know,” Bill said. I mean…”

  “Look. If I wasn’t telling the truth, what reason did I have to save you from that guard?”

  “I agree,” Sophie said.

  Sierra went to the door. She opened it and looked sideways outside.

  “All clear. You can go out!”

  Bill, Sophie and Julie got out. Thomas was the last to do so. When he reached next to Sierra, she told him:

  “I told you you’ll like me.”

  ***

  Sierra stopped running. She made a sign with her hand to the others to do the same.

  “Stop! It’s right here,” she said.

  She removed some grass from the ground to reveal a camouflaged hatch. She opened the hatch.

  “After you.”

  Sophie climbed down, followed by Thomas, Bill, and Julie. Sierra followed them on the ladder and closed the hatch after making sure no one was watching them.

  After going down the ladder, they hit a tunnel, which was illuminated by torches on the wall.

  “Follow me. Don’t be afraid,” Sierra said.

  They followed her through the tunnel, filled with ammo crates and guns hanging on the wall.

  After walking for about thirty yards, they entered a room filled with seven more people. It was illuminated by torches on the walls, which also had papers on them. In the middle of it, there was a table filled with papers and a Kalashnikov on it. Behind it, a bald, fifty year-old man with a red jacket was watching them.

 

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