Games of Life and Death

Annabelle glared at the doctor as he moved around her naked body. She was cold, but her muscles would not even let her shiver. Whatever they had injected her with would not let her even do that. After hours of blood tests, urine tests, x-rays, CAT scans, and general poking and prodding, Annabelle wanted to feel defeated. But her fury denied her urge to let weakness overcome her.

The doctor walked out of the room, leaving her alone with her rage. She stared endlessly at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. Even if the time was far shorter, the minutes were interminable and she wanted nothing more than to scream.

A beep and a click and another lab technician came in to the room through the entry way somewhere over her head, past her range of vision. She strained to see him, but once again her body refused. Anger boiled up in her soul.

I want out of here now!

Annabelle slammed her fists against the lab table before she even realized she could do so. The lab tech turned towards her just a moment before she turned to look at him. His eyes went wide as the realization that his patient was no longer sedated hit him.

Annabelle rolled off the table and in one fluid motion, she brought a leg up and in to the man’s temple. He dropped like stone to the floor.

She pulled the unconscious man up and stripped his clothes off him. The tech was skinny, making it quite easy for her to fit his pants, belt, and shirt. The shoes were still too large. She dumped them atop the unconscious man. Using his security badge, she unlocked the door and left the room.

Outside she found what looked like the inside of a normal, everyday doctor’s office. Only no one seemed to be around. The entire facility was deserted. She found an exit sign over a door across the room and head through the door and in to an equally empty waiting area.

She continued through the front exit and out on to the street. The sun was just now coming over the horizon. But the town seemed as deserted as the clinic. Where could all these people go?

Annabelle could feel fear creeping down her spine. Something wasn’t right here. It felt like something out of a zombie flick.

A low hum seemed to fill the town. But it didn’t seem to emanate from anywhere in particular. She continued down the street. Perhaps further exploration would give her some clue as to Atlas’ whereabouts.

“You should have run when you had the chance.”

Annabelle whirled to her left. The speaker emerged from the shadows of the building across the street. He wore all black with silver highlights and a gun on his chest. He had a bull’s-eye emblem on his chest. But it was the… the things behind him that sent a shiver down her spine.

Monsters. Sickening, hulking monsters out of some terrible horror flick. But far, far more real.

“Fungus, Spider-Thing, Kraken, take her alive,” the bull’s-eye man said. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t hurt her.”

The creatures grunted and moaned what only could be a positive reply. Annabelle charged forward, leapt, and drove a kick in to the creature called Kraken. The momentum sent the monster crashing to the ground. Fungus and Spider-Thing closed in around her.

Annabelle used her new strength to easily lift the massive Kraken off the ground and hurl it towards the other two monsters. Spores of mold flew everywhere as Kraken collided with Fungus. Spider-Thing hacked and coughed as the noxious cloud surrounded him.

“Oh for god’s sake.” The gunman pulled his pistols from the holsters at his side. As soon as they were clear, he fired. Annabelle didn’t even have time to react before the darts caught her in the neck and chest.

The last thing she saw as she slumped to the ground was the monsters moving towards her once again.

*****

About two dozen men in hunting gear, ranging in age from elderly to preteen stood in a loose semi-circle in front of Freedom. One man, a slightly portly fellow, paced in front of the crowd. He held a shotgun in his right hand; its barrel rested against his shoulder. Each and everyone one of his compatriots carried some kind of firearm as well.

Freedom may not have recognized the mayor if it wasn’t for the voice in the back of his head angrily whispering “Dad” over and over again.

“Why am I back in this shithole?” Freedom said.

“Now, now,” the mayor replied. “That’s no way to talk about the fine hospitality of the good citizens of Tudor. We were nice enough to take you and we even decided to throw this here party for you. A hunting party, but still. It’s the thought that counts.”

Freedom nodded. “This will end badly.”

“Almost certainly, Mister Patton. We are generous people though, myself and my constituency. We will give you a full two minute head start. With your considerable ability that should be quite long enough.”

“No,” Freedom said. He slowly grinned. “I meant it would end badly for you, you murdering son of a bitch.”

Mayor Williams’s eyes narrowed in anger. He turned to a pair of hunters, one a grizzly bearded man , the other with a pencil-thin mustache, both an edge past middle aged. “Get him moving, boys. His two minutes start right goddamn now!”

The two men closed on Freedom. The bearded man moved to loosen the bonds around Freedom’s wrists.

“no need for that,” the mayor said. “Our guest is so full of himself, why not let him take the head start with his hands bound?” He looked at his watch. “Time’s a’tickin away.”

“Whatever you say,” Freedom said.

With blinding speed, Freedom brought his arms up and over the mustached man’s neck. He used his bindings to pull the choke hold in tight, simultaneously yanking the man between him and the rest of the posse. His foot shot up and sideways, right in to the bearded man’s solar plexus. Bearded man dropped to the ground, clutching his chest, as Freedom started to drag his friend away.

The other locals raised their weapons but their ignorance and short-sightedness did not make them merciless, just as Freedom had hoped. Without being able to get a shot at him without also hitting their fellow townsman, they held their fire. Freedom thanked the Lord for small favors.

“If he’s going to cheat, all bets are off.” The mayor yelled his words with venom, his voice bellowing across the clearing. “After him boys. Bring him down by hand if need be, but it’s time to kill that coon-loving son of a bitch once and for all!”

Freedom leaned in close to his captive’s left ear. “I guess my good will is just about gone. Now give me your hunting knife or you will be just the first backwater bastard I kill today.”

The bearded man made angry, guttural sounds past his choked throat, but he reached down and retrieved the knife on his belt.

“Bring it up slow and don’t do anything stupid.” The local complied. “Put the knife in my hand and I’ll let you get out of this alive.”

Freedom felt the hilt of the knife against his palm. “Good. You’re smarter than your friends.”

Freedom raised his arms up, releasing the choke hold. He immediately brought his fists down in to mustache man’s head. The local collapsed to the ground from the blow.

Freedom turned and immediately broke in to a print. He took himself straight in to the woods and away from the posse. As he ran, he examined the knife. Six inch blade, well designed and weighted. Perfect for cleaning a kill.

He sliced easily through the rope between his wrist. A knife made for cutting bone made short work of his bindings. In only a few seconds, his hands were again free.

He stopped and listened. He could hear his pursuers stomping through the woodlands without a hint of subtlety. The hunt was on.

Freedom held his knife combat ready. The hunt was on. The only thing the mayor and his foolish constituents didn’t know was that they were no longer the hunters.

They were his prey.

*****

Despite the still dusky sky, the town of Hudson shown like noon time around him as Atlas made his way through his creation. The city had contained his longest and oldest cell and with their help, the main generator system was interspersed throughout the city. Now twenty-eight power stations quietly hummed in unison as his elite soldiers and a team of engineers waited for him to throw the final switch.

He entered the nondescript office building which hosted the World’s main complex. Immediately he was assailed by engineers and technicians. All clamored to relay supposedly important information about the project to him. Atlas turned to one man and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Is everything ready to power on?”

“Y-yes, Mr. Atlas,” the man said.

“Good. Then everyone shut up and get out of the way.”

He continued in to the generator access way. The room looked like something out of a bad science fiction comic. Electrical cables lined the walls, all connected to panel after panel of buttons, flashing lights, and computer screens. Everything connected back to one main terminal, but first he needed to get through the security door.

At the far end of the room stood a blank metal door, a door which only he now held the key. A simple card-key and retina scan stood between him and the realization of his years of work.

He slid the card through the reader and after a beep, a circle of red light lowered from the ceiling and surrounded him. He stood still, held his head up high, and waited for the field to do a full scan. Several seconds later, the steel door slid slowly open. Atlas felt a blast of air as the chamber depressurized.

The light field faded around him and Atlas stepped in to the next room. The first door closed and sealed behind him, and the next door in front of him slid open. Unlike any other’s trying to enter, he had no need to badge through again. The benefits of power, he thought.

Just over a minute later, the fourth door eased closed behind him and the final door slowly opened before him. Inside multiple servers quietly hummed. Only one access panel broke up the carefully aligned servers: a small box with only a single switch on its face. The switch that would herald the beginning of the New World.

My World.

Atlas flipped the switch.

The lights dimmed but only for a moment. Atlas turned back the way he came, the doors automatically opening to allow him to pass. He exited back in to the main room. He ignored the cheers and congratulations from the waiting sycophants and walked straight through the exit to outside.

He looked up in to the early morning sky. He smiled when he saw the beautiful amber covered sky. Energy rippled every few seconds through the force field, but it held strong. Eighty percent of Iowa now belonged to the World.

Atlas laughed with glee.