Vigo's Lament: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 3) (8 page)

Alan glanced down at his feet. “Damn it! When you put it like that, now I feel bad. I guess we’re going to the ceremony.”

Vince nodded. “We don’t stay long, we don’t talk to anyone, and we don’t show our faces. If it is Izzy’s face on these wanted posters, we will need to cover her face as well.”

“Here,” Charlotte said, pulling out a spare cloth. She gently wrapped it around Izzy’s face. “Is that comfortable?”

Izzy nodded. “Yup,” she said in a muffled voice.

“Good. Come on. We’ll follow them, but let’s keep our distance.”

Alan peered down at the two people down the street, walking away as they turned the corner. “We’ don’t want to lose them either. Hurry up.”

They jogged to the corner and peeked their heads around. The man and woman were halfway up the block. They waited a bit longer and swung around the bend, walking casually down the street and keeping a close eye on their two guides.

Vince pointed to a wall on their right. “Look,” he said. The others turned to see a wall littered with posters. “There’s the wanted poster.”

Charlotte trotted over and grabbed a copy. She ran back, holding it up to examine. “Well, this is definitely Izzy.”

Alan leaned over to see. “I don’t get it. Why would Simon want Izzy?”

“Maybe he knows something we don’t,” Vince said.

“Like what? We’re the ones that know she’s Greene’s daughter. I thought we were the ones with the secret.”

Vince shrugged. “I don’t know, but he knows something.”

“I don’t like it,” Alan said. “This whole thing makes me uncomfortable.”

“No one said coming back would be easy,” Charlotte said. “But
someone
has to stop Simon.”

Vince shook his head. “Simon said he would give up his power once Greene was gone. I’m beginning to think that won’t happen.”

“Of course it won’t,” Alan said. “A nut like that can’t resist power, even if he thinks he can. I didn’t believe it for a second when those words left his mouth.”

“I had my doubts, but some of the things he said before the attack, he almost sounded sane.”

Alan laughed. “There is no way that man is sane. Not in the slightest. A sane man doesn’t use children as weapons or sacrifice thousands of people just to send a message. A sane man would not shoot his own troops for absolutely no reason at all. I’ve said it a hundred times, but that guy is nuts. He has anger issues. He throws tantrums, and if you get in his way, he shoots you. We all saw it. Saul didn’t have to die like that.”

“Enough,” Vince said. “We don’t need to dwell on the past. What’s done is done. Focus on the task at hand.”

“All I’m saying is, if a man like that is put in a place of power, he will
never
give it up.”

“And that’s why we have to take it from him,” Vince said. His face, stone cold.

THIRTEEN

AS THEY FOLLOWED the man and woman down the street, another group of three turned onto the road. They were also talking about the ceremony. Vince and the others stopped their conversation, anxiously walking beside these new strangers. More people joined, and they soon found themselves stuck in the center of a small crowd, heading towards the ceremony. Vince kept his head down, hoping no one would recognize them.

The strangers paid no attention to them, but they remained silent anyway, too nervous to say a word. Charlotte finally looked to her side and whispered, “I think we’re okay. They don’t recognize us.”

“Don’t take any chances,” Vince whispered back.

“This was a mistake,” Alan said. “We should have stuck to the plan and headed straight for the Spire.”

Vince kept his eyes forward and his head down. “Too late now. We’re surrounded. There’s no way to get out without drawing attention. All we can do now is follow them and hope for the best.”

“Shoot,” Alan said. “I hate hope-for-the-best. It never works out.”

“Hey, we’re still alive,” Charlotte said. “That has to count for something. We’ll be okay as long as we don’t make a scene.”

Izzy pressed up against Charlotte, trembling as the crowd grew denser. Charlotte wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in closer.

The movement of the crowd slowed to a stop, and they found themselves in front of a modest stage. Vibrant flowers were stacked at the center, with pictures of faces scattered around. Hanging from the front of the stage was a sign that read,
Never Forget
. People from the crowd threw paper on stage. Pictures of loved ones, and letters of grief.

“When does it start?” Alan asked to no one in particular.

A lady to his right turned around. “Any minute now. It’s so nice that they’re doing this. A ceremony like this means so much.” She held up a picture to show Alan. “This is my son. He was working in the Spire during the attack. He didn’t make it out.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alan said. “It was truly a horrible day for all of us. I’m sure your son was a good man.” The lady crumpled the paper, pressed it against her lips with loving care, and tossed it onto the stage.

“Thank you for saying so. If you don’t mind me asking, who did you lose?”

Alan thought about the question for a moment. “My wife, Melinda.”

“Do you have a picture of her? You can throw it on stage.”

Alan lowered his head. “Sadly I do not. She was a beautiful woman, though.”

“Did she work in the Spire?”

“No. She just got caught up in something she wasn’t a part of.”

“That’s a shame.”

“She was the nicest woman in the world. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. She always put others ahead of herself. She didn’t deserve such a cruel death.”

“She sounds like a nice person. Perhaps she and my son will meet in the afterlife.”

“Yes, perhaps.”

A man walked up on stage holding a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen. If I could have your attention, I would like to begin this ceremony.” He waited for the chatter to die down. “Thank you. As you all know, we are here to honor lost friends and family who were taken during the fall of the Spire. It only happened weeks ago, but it feels like ages that we’ve had to suffer without our loved ones. I know it’s difficult, but we will overcome this time of sorrow. Every single one of us has one thing in common. We have lost someone close. We will not let this break our spirits. Instead, we will support each other and grow as a community.”

The crowd cheered.

“I think it would be appropriate to take a moment of silence, in respect for those we’ve lost. Please join me.” He lowered his head and closed his eyes. The rest of the crowd did the same.

Vince, Izzy, Charlotte, and Alan closed their eyes as well.

Alan thought of Melinda. Her beautiful eyes. Her laugh. Her smile. Everything she did filled his heart with joy, but she was no longer around, and a black void filled that spot instead. The void was impossible to fill. It would remain there forever.

Charlotte thought of her friends and coworkers. It was the only community she had, and now many of them were gone. A few had made it out, like Trevor, but she would never forget the others. They were all good people. None of them deserved to die.

Izzy thought of her father. The others called him Greene, but to her he was Daddy. He was the only person she knew, other than the labbies, and he was certainly the only person she loved. The one person in her life was taken, the only home she knew was left behind, and now she wandered with strangers, amidst a crowd of people. There were so many faces, but the only one she wanted to see was gone forever.

Vince thought of Saul. Who else was there to think of? Their loss in Snow Peak was tragic, but Saul was his best friend. He was more than that. They defied death for two hundred years, and now for Saul, it was all over. A life spanning two centuries was turned to dust with the pull of a trigger. Behind that trigger stood a mad-man, the one responsible for all of it. Simon, the psycho, as Alan would put it. Vince’s memory of Saul was stained by the image of his headless body lying at the feet of that monster.

They had all lost someone close. Death had risen up and snatched their loved ones from the mortal plane, dragging them into the mysterious depths of the afterlife. And what the afterlife brought, no one knew. None would know until death returned to claim their own lives. All they could do was show respect, and pray that life after death led to happiness.

“Thank you,” the man continued, breaking the silence. “Now I would like to introduce our special guest. She is one of Mr. Greene’s former employees. She spent her days in the labs, working with subjects and helping to improve the City. Her name is Trish Beaumont.”

A young woman joined the man on stage. He handed the microphone over and stepped back. The woman wore the familiar white lab coat. A pair of thick-framed glasses sat on the top of her nose.

“Thank you, Warren,” she said, with her voice projecting through the speakers. “As he said, my name is Trish. I used to work in the Spire. I was there during the attack. There were a lot of brave men and women defending their home. Defending what made this City so great. Victor Greene was a triumphant man.”

“I guess this is a ceremony for Greene,” Alan whispered.

“Of course they’re going to mention him,” Charlotte said. “He’s one of the fallen, and had such a big impact on these people.”

“He was a man with a vision,” the woman on stage continued, adjusting her glasses every few minutes. “A man whose only wish was to help others. We were all touched by his kindness. His generosity was boundless.” She paused and lowered her head. “In the last couple of years, I worked very close with Mr. Greene. I saw him every day. I worked by his side on a project close to his heart. Sadly, in his absence, the project will never come to light. Too much was lost in the wreckage. But that doesn’t mean we will forget what he did for us. He sacrificed so much to make our lives better. It is not only our duty to carry on his work. It is our privilege. It’s not what he would have wanted, but what he would have expected.”

The crowd broke out in hollers and cheers, clapping and stomping their feet. Looking around, it became apparent to both Vince and Alan, that these were true supporters of the man they were trying to kill.

The woman waved to the crowd and handed the microphone back to the man. “Inspiring words, Trish. An appropriate way to start off this ceremony. With a vision of hope for the future. It is true, we will carry on Victor Greene’s work. His body has perished, but his name lives on. We will not let Simon scare us with acts of terror. We will come together and strengthen as a community. Simon thinks we’ll just give up, but he’s wrong. We will not quit. We will persevere—”

A blast shook the ground and bodies flew up in the air. The crowd scattered in fear. They screamed with terror and cried for help, shuffling to escape the area, but they were too tightly packed. Another blast went off, this time from behind. Vince turned away as a mist of blood moved past them. The taste of warm iron filled his mouth and lungs.

There was no room to move, but the crowd pushed anyway. A great force pushed Vince forward and slammed his chest into the person in front of him. The increasing pressure cut off the circulation to his fingers. Alan stood by his side, screaming with discomfort.

Charlotte grabbed Izzy and held her over her shoulders, above the crowd. Izzy’s scarf hooked one of Charlotte’s buttons and pulled right off. Charlotte ignored it and placed the girl on her shoulders. Some people nearby showed a glimpse of recognition when they saw her face, but most were too panicked to pay attention.

“How do we get out?” Alan yelled to Vince.

As the words left his mouth, two more blasts hit. They were closer and louder than the others. All sounds were muffled by an incessant ringing in their ears. A pocket of dead bodies fell inward to the ground and with the force of the pushing crowd, Vince, Alan, and Charlotte toppled over. Alan guided his fall to catch Izzy from Charlotte’s shoulders. A soft bed of corpses broke their fall and more were thrown on top. They were trapped in a sandwich of flesh and blood. Izzy screamed and cried. Tears and drool mixed together, dripping from her chin.

Vince saw the pain in her eyes. He took a deep breath and pushed against the people on top of him. His face turned red, and his veins bulged out as he expended his energy. He lifted three bodies and tossed them aside. He got to his feet and wobbled left and right, dizzy from overexerting himself. After a brief moment of rest, he ran over to Alan, who had caught Izzy in his arms. He pulled bodies off one by one until he could reach Izzy. He pulled her out of the pile.

“Are you okay?” he asked, forgetting about the ringing in his ears. The words came out garbled and nonsensical. He searched her body for cuts and bruises and placed her on the ground to help the others.

Once Alan and Charlotte were up, he glanced around at the chaos. The crowd was scattered with people running in every direction. Limbs littered the ground, and thick blood stained their boots. Amidst the confusion, he saw a woman run into a crowd, strapped with explosives.

“Suicide bombers!” Alan yelled. “That sick bastard. This is a funeral. Does he have no respect?”

“Of course not!” Charlotte yelled back. “Haven’t you learned anything about him?”

“But nobody’s this cruel.” Alan’s tone was of disbelief.

“You would usually be right, but Simon is the exception.”

“We need to get out of here!” Vince yelled, with the ringing in his ears finally dying down. “Fast!”

Charlotte frantically looked around. “Follow me!” She led them away from the stage towards the back.

A clear path opened up to a street. They sprinted towards the opening, Charlotte holding Izzy in her arms. Bombs exploded on either side of them. Screams echoed, and blood splashed onto the path.

Alan slipped on a fresh patch of blood and fell hard, landing on his back and knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air, but his lungs would not work.

Vince stopped to help him up. He stuck out his hand and pulled him to his feet. “Are you okay?”

Alan clenched his chest, finally able to breathe. “Yeah I’m good.”

Vince nodded, and turned forward to continue, but the gap in the crowd was gone. There was no more path the follow. Instead, four large Crowns were blocking their way. Vince turned in the other direction to see four more.