Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (21 page)

It had been a few hours since we set up camp. The muffled whistle from above had stopped, the vibrations waned. 

“I’m going to check the surface.”

“When?”

“Right now.”

No more words required. My eyes focused on the ladder in the shaft. With my body rested, I climbed up the steps with force and soon reached the hatch on the top. I pushed my ears against the hull and listened.

No vibrations.

No muffled whistle. 

The sign of surface silence?

I unlocked the mechanism and pushed open the hatch with all my might. Rays of sun greeted me, as well as a fresh breeze of sandy wind.

For the first time ever, I embraced the scorching heat. 

The burning light was better than a dark underground.

As long as the sun remained in the sky, I had hope.

With quick steps, I rushed down to the tunnel and spread the good news.

Everyone moved up and cheered. 

Everyone but Ann-Lyze.

“What about my father? He’s not going to make it up.”

“Then we’ll leave him,” the soldier said.

Ann-Lyze protested. 

“Over my corpse. If he stays, so do I.”

The soldier shrugged, saying ‘so what’ with his body gesture.

“No one’s staying. We all go up.”

I looked at Nathan and thought of a way to lift the geezer. He was too weak to even hold onto me.

“Let’s chain you up to my back and I carry you."

A smile brushed Ann-Lyze’s face.

The soldier protested.

“Are you insane? His weight is going to drag you down.”

He pointed at the shaft.

“It’s at least a few hundred steps up the ladder. That’s suicide.”

“That’s my problem, isn’t it?”

He stopped arguing with me. The diggers actually looked concerned. 

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

“We’re about to find out.”

Despite everything that had happened, the strength still resided in my body. 

Maybe it was the generous ration in the morning, or my survival will.

Didn’t matter, as long as it stayed with me.

I told the diggers to bind Nathan to my back.

Five minutes later, everyone was good to go, so I explained the climbing order.

Ann-Lyze went first.

Then the diggers, followed by the soldier.

I was last.

“Why the rear?” the soldier said.

“In case I fall off. I don’t want to drag you all down when my hands slip off the steps."

Everyone understood. One of the diggers gave me an approving nod, Ann-Lyze was ready to hug me into a coma.

“Thanks. For everything.”

“No worries. Let’s shoot up.”

We began the climb. 

And I thought the solo mount was tough. 

Still, I didn't want to complain. 

This was my choice.

My responsibility. 

I was the leader now.

During the way up, I said,

“You’re weighing a lot, old man.”

“I had a decent brekkie with lots of calories."

Seeing him churn out humor made my heart sing. 

Back on the sun-beaten surface, the diggers and Ann-Lyze helped me out the hole.

She hugged me and sent a smile brighter than the yellow-bleached sand.

“I can’t believe you made it.”

“Miracles do happen.”

"You're such a gentleman," the soldier said.

"What can I say? Manners maketh the man."

Even the diggers cheered.

Only the soldier remained suspicious. I couldn’t detect his expression because of his shielded face, but his posture had mistrust covered all over it.

“You’ve got a lot of stamina. Why did the Bulwark degrade you from your soldier position? You must have been quite the asset.”

“Blame it on my failure to comply.”

We left it at that. 

I checked back on my commcuff and looked up the digital map. The position of the APC was still tagged on the route.

“I suggest we return to our RV point and see if the APC is still there.”

Unlikely, but with no alternatives on the horizon, we followed up. 

The diggers agreed to carry Nathan so I could recover from my climb. We all marched through the back alleys and stayed away from the main roads. During the trip, I inspected my new surrounding. This sector looked twice as wrecked as before. 

Car wreckages hung from rooftops.

Ruins had collapsed and steel pillars had bent over in L-shapes.

This wasn’t a sandstorm, but a damn avalanche of rock that rolled over this city.

Huge respect to mother nature and her relentless force.

Maybe it was a punishment for mankind’s failure after all.

Sandstorms to rid us from sin.

A cute little story the Technoid would believe in. 

The fall in the industrial hall may have saved our lives after all.

We walked by demolished house walls and found crimson markings smeared on their surfaces. Ugly graffiti, poured in crusted blood, penned by dusted psychos.

“Praise the machine god.”

"The prophet will arise. He will lead us to the Promised Space."

“The future is Technoid.”

I hoped not.

Ann-Lyze cringed when she read the lines.

“Not really a pep talk.”

“Just ignore them. We’re almost there.”

My glance fell to the diggers who still carried Nathan. 

Wounded men who bit their lips, dragging their comrade through the sun-scorched ruins. 

Mad respect.

“How are you guys doing?”

“Still alive.”

“Do you want me to take over?”

“Nah, it’s cool,” the other one said with his chapped lips.

My respect just doubled.

Only the soldier worried me.

He strolled next to us, his right hand fumbling with the Dust Viper.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not yet.”

We stayed en route.

Finally arrived at the RV point.

As feared, the APC was nowhere to be found.

But something else was.

64

The sun caked the victim's blood.

The armor and flesh were torn apart, probably by debris projectiles in the sandstorm.

But even with the two limbs cut off and the armor penetrated, I could identify the superior’s corpse. 

The man’s face was nothing but a scratched meat salad. 

Ann-Lyze looked ready to puke.

“Was it a Technoid?”

I checked the corpse up close. Couldn’t detect a single impact wound, not even a graze shot from a pulsar beam. Only shreds of rubble. Steel. And concrete.

“No. I think the storm got to him.”

The soldier stepped in.

“Then who took the APC?”

“One of the remaining guards? My guess is as good as yours.”

Hopelessness spread through the group again. 

Ann-Lyze turned away her glance and treated her father again.

The soldier started to annoy me.

“What now? Without the APC, we’ll never make it back to the cluster.”

“We have to think of something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Yet.”

The diggers shrugged as well. Our last ticket out of here was nowhere to be seen.

Up in the sky, the sun dug behind the horizon.

“It’s going to be dark soon. We better find a place to stay, in case another storm shows up."

No one wanted to go back to the tunnels, although they were safer than the ruins. I carefully weighed our options when the soldier added his wisdom.

"I know this sector pretty well. There's a nearby 'scraper with a lobby and intact rooms. It's a good hiding spot, at least for now."

The rest of the group nodded.

Near was good, because no one wanted to stroll through this abandoned city in perfect darkness. Besides, we had walked for hours today. Everyone but me looked like they needed a rest, but something still bugged me. I looked at the tracks of the APC and followed it a few meters.

"Listen, we see where these tracks end up. Maybe the APC has relocated to another area. Maybe they're still waiting for us."

"You're hopelessly naïve," the soldier said.

So much for his trust in the cluster society. 

Looked like the Bulwark's patriotism was only a dust layer thin.

Couldn’t judge the guy—even the soldiers were cogs in the cluster.

Little drones tossed out like trash once they outlived their purpose.

I said,

"Please. Give me half an hour. It's better to find the APC than to rest a single night in this sector. Or do any of you guys want to meet-up with the Technoids?"

Of course no one did.

So they followed my suggestion.

Good.

It was my goal to keep them safe.

And with the sun diving down, the pressure increased.

Unfortunately, my desires didn't materialize.

65

We followed the tracks of the APC through the city.

Alternatives didn’t exist. 

Half-way across the city, the tracks vanished into the sand-ridden streets.

Either the sandstorm or the wind had blown them away.

Hope burned with every sip of water. 

We were down on one container.

Two liters for a group of five. 

It wasn’t looking good. 

The mood in my team dampened. 

Nathan was close to collapsing into a coma.

“What now, leader?”

I ignored the mockery in the soldier’s tone. An emotional breakout would wipe out the already low morale of the group.

Couldn’t risk it.

“You’re right. The APC’s gone. We pick your spot.”

“And then?"

“We find an alternative. Getting cooked up on the street is no way to plan ahead.”

One of the diggers groaned. He and his buddy had schlepped old Nathan around for the past hour.

These men reached the limits of their strength. 

Another reason to rest someplace near and relax.

We traversed the rubble of yet another back alley and found a ruin with a lobby.

Near to the east side stood a few benches covered in dust, but free of rubble and mainly intact. I told the diggers to lay Nathan down and take a break.

They gladly accepted.

I waited till everyone was seated and eyed the nearby staircase. 

Was this building free of hostiles? 

I had to check and find out.

And I needed armament to be on the safe side.

“Soldier, give me your Dust Viper. I want to recon the area.”

He produced the firearm from his holster but stopped in mid-motion.

My authoritarian voice only worked so much.

“Actually, I’m your superior.”

“I understand. I just want to make sure we’re alone in this building. I’ll return your gun as soon as I’ve swept the levels.”

He seemed to ponder my suggestion.

“You’re a digger. I’m a soldier. By the Bulwark’s rules, you are in no position to give me orders.”

“But we’re beyond the Bulwark’s jurisdiction. The Lost Lands abide by no laws.”

The diggers nodded, Ann-Lyze also.

This wasn’t the moment to discuss chain of command. 

Ann-Lyze patted her father’s forehead dry and supported me.

“He saved all of us. Just give him the damn gun.”

The soldier wavered, but something was holding him back. Maybe it was the armor on his body that kept his feeling of authority in place. Uniforms had always changed the characters of humans.

Wear something powerful, and you feel powerful.

The soldier came to his conclusion.

“I will check the upper floors myself. You can come with me.”

A sigh-worthy moment. But I didn’t trust the guy enough to go solo, so I agreed.

“You guys stay here and relax. We’ll be back soon.”

Ann-Lyze nodded.

“Good luck. And don’t do something stupid.”

“No guarantees.”

She smiled, and it was the most heart-warming emotion of today. As long as people were able to grin in the face of adversary, there was hope for all of us.

“Let’s go now,” I said to the soldier.

We waved our group goodbye for now and walked up the stairs. Pushed our backs against the wall of the second floor and peeked inside the hall. Apart from the torn-apart walls, the rubble and the stench of dank concrete, the place looked forsaken. Still, we marched around the piles and cleared the perimeter. The soldier had his gun ready. One part of me thought about disarming the man. He was too rebellious to carry the only weapon in the team.

When he looked at my direction, I nodded.

Trying to keep everything smooth.

We checked the last corner of the hall and found nothing but trash forgotten by time.

This floor was a ghost dump.

“Okay, clear. Let’s check the next.”

We returned to the staircase, entered the third floor and repeated the same cautious maneuver. In the middle of the sweep, the soldier started a conversation.

“Why are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Playing the leader. You don’t have the obligation, nor any incentive, to do so.”

“Well, when our so-called superior left us in the tunnel, someone had to take charge."

“Is that behavior the reason why the committee discharged you from the soldier service?"

The guy clearly knew more than I had anticipated. 

But with his helmet and full face shield on, I couldn’t gauge his facial expression.

I said,

“The Bulwark seems to have problems with people taking initiative.”

“The Bulwark is addicted to hierarchy. If you stand out like a nail, they hammer you back in.”

“You’re right about that.”

We came to the end of the third floor and went back to the staircase.

The last floor awaited us.

The soldier kept talking.

“You know, people back at the cluster kept chattering about you.”

“Yeah? I guess someone has to be the scapegoat in dire times.”

“Oh no, they weren’t badmouthing you. Quite the contrary. Almost everyone swooned about your heroic deeds.”

“Tell me more. I really could use an ego boost right now.”

I said it only half-jokingly.

With so much crap hitting me lately, I was looking for any sign of optimism.