Chapter Nine:
It took most of the early afternoon to even reach the lower city, and boy was it horrible and reeked of rot and death the likes I've never smelled before. People shifted and grazed between alleyways and streets with no clear direction. There was nothing of a authority system in place around here. People had stalls to sell what little they could. It was the making of anarchy. This was just off the proof how WICKED turn it's back on the people. I was utterly disgusted at every moment spent here. How could they allow people to wallow in such inhumane living conditions? The massive wall keeping everything out as a last ditch effort.
All I could do is cling to the sides of my friends not to get separated. We traveled through a few different quadrants of the lower city reaching closer to the wall which barred entrance to the main city. I not sure what Thomas had in mind for getting inside. I felt eyes latch on to me, I've felt this way before. It was like being under a microscope.
"You feeling alright?" Brenda pause as she notice I stop walking.
"My stomach is in knots, let alone the anxiety of the unknown." I shifted my arms in response.
"C'mon mate it's best we keep walking, these streets are so volatile!"
Keeping pace with Brenda and now Newt we reconnect with Thomas, Jorge and Fry at the end of the street. Newt starts coughing in a sporadic fit after a few blocks of walking onward forcing us to stop. He waves our advances away as he catches his breath again. And it's back to walking further ahead.
About a quarter mile away from the wall, things aren't as peaceful as they were few blocks ago. Pulling my hood over my head I felt a bit more safer and less noticed. People in grubby clothing were stuffing large bags on trucks people sat at sides of their apartments, clothing hover over head on strings, dead bodies are collected by other's. I felt a wave of disgust crawl across my flesh. But still we pressed on.
People went every which direction, it was a shoving match just to proceed. I walk steadily behind Thomas with Brenda behind me. Jorge forcing his way up more.
"This place is already gone to hell." Jorge comments.
"We just gotta stay together." Thomas replied. Soon after a man on a mega phone was shouting and rallying people from on top of a truck which force us to move aside.
"We are the voice of the voiceless. They hide behind their wall's, they think they can keep the Cure to themselves. While they watch the rest of us wither and rot!" He ranted on as others who sat on the roof had gas masks on. One at the edge just stared down Thomas and he gave back the same stare, as the convoy of vehicles drove pass.
"Okay, is it just me or was that guy glaring at you Thomas?" I asked as no one said anything about the roaming convoy.
Thomas gave me a stiff nod not letting his sight go from those people. Hell I didn't either but what was a large rally going to accomplish? Suddenly Thomas head diverted up and I followed with my gaze as these tiny buzzing drones appeared out of nowhere and began to hover. Where they here to motion the situation from a distance?
We deliberated shortly to keep going, walking past more death and decay. We inch between small alleyways and large street's following the flow of rioting voices of the condemned. Some of the road was bared and had too much rubble to pass.
It took time but we came across people heading in the same direction cutting through unused apartments buildings till a large cylinder reach over head where more trash and rubble lay wasting away a army of people shouting even cursing toward whatever and whomever. But we knew it was WICKED who placed these inflicted and poor souls to the lower city and kept them out.
Men and women screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs. All in unison. Let us in! Over and over and over.
"That's it, that's are way in." Thomas said loud enough for us to hear over the people.
"Sorry to say it doesn't seem to be as cut and dry, as you like bro." I caution Thomas quickly before we do something rash.
Despite that smell of rot and rust from overlaying buildings all in derelict. Each teething to collapse at any given time as they should had so long ago. There in front of hundreds of people stood tall and erect were these white steel walls. Somehow intact and in pristine shape.
Inbetwixt these sturdy wall's were metal blast doors. From the look of them could hold against a tide of people and the elements. And just above that was the city skylines. Where half way there, I tell myself soothingly.
We pushed onward between the rioters with the yelling and signs all following Thomas pace.
"Thomas! This is not what your looking for. All these people trying to find their way in. And your going to find something they cant?" Jorge said sternly trying snap some sense into him. He obviously on a war path that even he had let my comment go on deaf ears.
"We came this far, I'm not turning back now!" Thomas snarls still moving on.
"Listen to him, this feels like a setup." I said more forcefully.
"What the hell we get ourselves into?" Asked Fry, who wasn't even sure at this point.
Eventual we made our way with shoving and pushing to the front where a small barricade held everyone back. Thomas eyes was to the horizon, Jorge and I were beside him. My eyes gaze outward city just ahead. How we was getting inside was still a mystery, just it were when we arrived.
"Thomas this doesn't feel right." Jorge pleaded.
"We can always find another entrance, but this. This isn't it."
Newt and the others finally managed to reach us but his face had this dire air of urgency. Fry's and his hand tap us grabbing us a little forward. "Hey guys we gotta go now. Look." Newt said to the us as he pointed to the men in masks walking toward us en masse.
I pulled out my knife, giving Jorge a look. He knew what I meant as suddenly he was ready for a fight, drawing his pistol. I would gut the first one who got close enough. I tap Thomas briefly glaring the knife so he knew to move out of the way when I swung. The other's caught on quick. At this instance we huddle up ready for what was about to go down.
Abruptly a metallic sound blared through the noise, we all turned to face the sound when I saw something more terrifying than any Crank back in that tunnel. Large cannon-like structures, on top of the wall, came to life and pointed to the crowd.
People started fleeing for their lives all rushing the opposite direction when I hear masked person shout, move. Frypan even cried out for Thomas and us to run. A projectiles smash and exploded meters away from us. That when we ran. Ran for our very lives as more and more projectiles fired at us and the crowd. I drop the knife and began kicking dirt from behind as we're narrowly escaping.
"Go, go. Go…" Thomas calls out frantically as each explosion is increasingly getting closer, the vibrations are so powerful I felt the ground tremble. There was no time to look back, you just have to pray your feet and the feet of your friends kept pushing.
Many unfortunate souls got wipe away from the explosions. Turning to our left we ran faster, and faster, even more so as dust and debris brush past my face. Thomas kept the lead. I wasn't sure how we're making it out of this situation unscathed. Eventual we made are under a small path and closed off by two walls as dust blows past us. It was like the worse was over.
Next thing I know a firm hand grabs me by the collar. Everyone is caught up by the same bunch of people who tried taking us before they started firing at us from the walls.
"Brenda, Brenda!" Jorge screams out while being subdued by two men.
"Newt!" I cry out trying to fight myself loose. "Let go me you asshole!" I shouted as I'm force into a truck following Thomas and Brenda making the back ever so cramped as three masked men joined us. Forcing me to site sideways which was annoying but atlest we're together.
There is a long time inside the van, speeding past rodes and buildings. The three men kept staring at us but mostly Thomas and Brenda. I kept my head down with my hoodie on tight.
Wherever they're taking us, they have use out numbered and out gunned. So we kept quiet and let event's unfold as they will. We're their prisoner's now...