1.1

I tramped down the cracked sidewalk, water seeping from my open shoes. It was raining, the clouds sending it straight down between the buildings, making the day darker than the norm, and my flashlight scarcely shed any light in front of me. I pulled the collar of my coat up onto my chin. The faint glimmer of a generator shone two blocks away.2

As I walked I didn’t look around much—moreso kept my eyes on the ground, aimed at my little circle of electric light—but I spared a glance when I felt I had to. It’d been a while since I had been in this city and I wanted to be careful. The last time I was here, I was with my parents and it was a chore picking up the clothes and batteries we needed. My father and mother had to fight for what we could get. Broken windows accompanied every store and the people still around brawled over everything in the darkness. You had to be careful…if you had your head still. It was hard to think of anything then.3

I took a few more steps before looking up again. Four-way intersection.
Busted cars covered the street and sidewalks, some on their sides. Glass shards shimmered in the rain as I ran my low light over them, and wet leaves lay plastered against the old, broken asphalt. Creeping wherever they could, long vines mixed with large electrical wires that you had to pick your way through. Some of the wires traveled to the generator that was up ahead and others probably went to a few buildings to the north and south. I put my head down again, pushing soaked hair out of my eyes.4

When I was here with my parents—nearly eight years ago—most everyone still huddled in the city and there were a lot more generators, lampposts and such wired to huge batteries, and flashlights around. As of yet, I’d only seen three and the first two were abandoned. I hadn’t heard any voices beside the rain.5

Stealing another glimpse ahead, I instantly tucked to the right against a wall. Finally. There were two black silhouettes of people there, a woman and a man, barely visible against everything around them. They were sheltered under the stone outcropping of their corner building, one only moving to scratch his face as they both looked out over their intersection. Peering as best I could, I couldn’t make out any weapons so I crept along towards them, thankful that the rain snuffed out my footsteps and that there were cars I could duck behind. I kept my flashlight covered. Only a single building distanced me from them, and I clenched my free hand up into a fist, stood up straight, and walked on.6

I didn’t know how to initiate anything. Did I want to say “hello?” Would they kill me? I’d been on my own for so long—did they even speak my language? I backed up slowly. My parents had warned of people losing themselves into cannibalism when the world basically fell, but I didn’t have much time left to think. They pivoted and started running at me when the generator went out.7

I had fallen over one of the wires and disconnected their lamppost. In the next few moments I felt them upon me. I screamed, kicking and flailing out as they grabbed at me in the darkness, their flashlights darting about, sometimes hitting me, sometimes shining at my face. My wet clothes made it hard to move. The man jumped on me, pinning my arms. I yelled again and he clamped his hand against my mouth, pushing my head into the sidewalk with a smack.8

“Shut up!” he ordered through his teeth. He pressed harder on my mouth and looked back at the woman who went to replug the lamppost. He took the flashlight from my hand. “Shut up and don’t move.”9

I didn’t. The rain continued to fall.10

When the lamppost was finally lit again I felt him ease up a little.11

“How’s he look?” the woman called quietly. I saw they were both black.12

The man turned my flashlight on and shined it in my eyes. “He dilates.”13

“What about his skin?”14

“He’s just dirty and bloodied… You speak English?” the man asked me.15

I nodded.16

“Good.” He got off me and quickly stood up, pulling me up as he did so. “He’s okay for now.”17

“Do we take him inside?” the woman asked.18

The man handed me back my light. “What are you doing here?”19

I looked at them both blankly.20

“Paler, what are you doing here?” he said again.21

Paler? “I’m just walking through.”22

“Through the city?”23

“I was here with my parents when I was younger—“ I gasped a breath “—and we were able to get supplies… I’ve been on my own for a while now and I’m running low.”24

“What do you need?” the woman asked.25

I checked the man, who still looked like he was going to jump on me. “I need clothes. And food, preferably canned and dried.”26

“Have you met any others?” the man asked.27

“Others?”28

“Others. Freebies. Darkened.”29

“Madmen? No, not in the city yet. There were a few my parents kept away when I was young, and there’s been some I’ve seen these past few years, but…no. Are there a lot here?”30

They didn’t answer. The woman came forward and pushed the hair out of my eyes, shining her own flashlight into them.31

“Take him inside,” she said.32


<->33


I was pushed into the dark lobby of a former bank. Lit candles sat here and there on the grimy marble floor, sending flickering glimmers up the old wood paneling, and a few crosses were nailed onto the walls.34

“Keep moving.”35

There were a few men and women in the room, huddled together with children as they watched me. Like my escort most of them had crucifixes around their necks and no weapons in their hands. Making sure to move quick enough for the man and feeling exposed, I only looked sideways at them. They were also black.36

We came to a staircase at the back of the room. “Keep moving, paler,” he said as he took a candle from one of the men. Looking up, I could only see the top of the stairs as I climbed. The glow from the first floor only let me see a few grey feet in front of me before the man lit another candle that sat on a ledge to our right. Dust permeated the air. A long hallway stretched forward with doors on either side, some open and black. The floor was missing tiles and I could hear scampering.37

I looked over my shoulder.38

“Four doors down,” he said, motioning to the left.39

“Where are we going?”40

“I’m taking you to Max.”41


<->42


I couldn’t describe him—the mess he looked, the way he moved about in his office. His glasses were slightly cracked and his hair was a freshly used mop, stringy, gray, and falling out all over the place. He rifled through papers on his desk and stooped over ones that had fallen to the floor for five minutes before noticing I had been led into the room.43

Glancing, he blinked at me and went back to his desk.44

He tapped on the desk’s edge with his left hand while scribbling on a map with his right. Picking up a pencil compass, he used it to walk from building to building on the map.45

“Hey Max?” said the man.46

Max mumbled something.47

“Maxwell?”48

He glared back up at me, his broken glasses gleaming like an insect’s eyes.
“Yes?” he asked, his voice low. “What do you want?” He barely opened his mouth while he talked.49

“We found this guy outside. He looks normal.”50

“Good for him.” Nodding once, he looked back down at his map before turning around searching for something.51

“Well, what do you want us to do with him?” the man asked.52

“What”—Maxwell held up something made of glass, peering at it—“do you think we should do with him, Adrian?” He tossed it away dissatisfied. “I think food, if we have it, and then get rid of him.”53

“I just need some dried food or canned,” I said quickly, scrunching my shoulders together as Adrian grabbed my neck.54

“Shut up,” he hissed.55

Maxwell’s glasses gleamed again, each little crack winking at different angles as he stared over them at me. Studying me silently, he looked me up from my shoes to my face.56

“He’s from the countryside, Max. He hasn’t encountered many madmen.”57

“And yet, he looks worse than we do. What’s your name?” he said.58

“Samuel.”59

“Samuel? Anointer of David.” He looked me back down and up. “Get him a change of clothes, the food he needs, and give him some batteries before he leaves.”60

“Oh, and turn off the lights in an hour,” Maxwell added as Adrian led me out of the room. “It’s 6 o’clock. They need to sleep downstairs.”61

“Alright.”62

“Samuel leaves tomorrow morning.”63

With the door shut and given something substantial to do, Adrian seemed to relax a bit and finally let go of my neck. Rubbing it, I followed him slowly back down the hallway and stairs where the people had begun to eat their suppers. When we entered the lobby again, however, they froze. Deer-in-headlights syndrome. They didn’t move and Adrian had also stopped, seeming perplexed.64

“What’s the matter with you?” He shined his flashlight at the woman nearest him who scrunched up her eyes. “The paler needs something to eat. Come on, now.”65

I tried smiling, but I wound up with what must have been a grimace. I tried to speak, but ended up with a cough and a sputter.66

They gave me some food after Adrian ordered them, and the rest of the hour went awkwardly and hushed until the candles were snuffed.67

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