Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Grey City

In a flash of hands and items and something that could or may not have been rope, the bandits avidly tossed me and Naomi around. I yelled as did Naomi for help, but this was met only by silence and the occasional snicker.

I closed my eyes and let my hands be manipulated. I think we were then tied, as I could not see what happened. However, one second, I was a guy, his hands tied, standing, the second, I was hoisted above the ground, eyes still shut.

I felt some hard surface up against my back. I opened my eyes to find I had been tied to a rather thin log, my legs dangling and my arms tied around its girth. Ahead of me, where I could see, two bandits, wearing ragged clothing, hoisted the top of the wooden harness. My feet dangled just above the grassy surface.

My wrists ached with the weight of my entire body, dragging them against the thick wood which suspended them. Feeling the pain, I tried to kick my legs and grab the log with my legs as to better even out my weight, however when I leaned back my legs to prepare a kick, I hit something behind me and heard, a rather deep female, “Oof, ouch!”

I turned my head the best I could, and saw a girl, not Naomi, but a girl with light chocolate brown skin and wearing what looked like a Native American outfit, with a crown of feathers. She looked confused and sleepy. She slightly stirred, looking around to see what had kicked her.

She was in the exact same predicament as me, her hands tied to the log as she dangled.

Then she saw my struggling eyes trying to look at her and she reacted, “O… hello, who are you?

I did not answer, surprised by the sudden company of this stranger. She looked at me, her eyes serious and unmoving, “You kicked me in the head…”

She paused, her lips pursed, as if thinking, considering how she felt about that.

I took this time to stare back and answer, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there!”

She stared on, her cold, dead gaze still on me, then suddenly, she smiled, showing a set of beautiful white teeth, and giggled, saying, “That’s okay. I’m fine!”

Then she returned to silence, her serious stare still on me.

I stirred, silent, before asking, “So…Where are we?”

She giggled again, “I don’t know.”

I looked around me and realized somewhere around the time when I thought I had merely been closing my eyes, I had fainted. The bandits had clearly taken us far away since all above me were tall trees and a forest I had never seen before.

“What is your name?” I was asked from behind, as I pondered up above me.

“Amir.” I said, rather lost in thought, “How about yours?”

She looked paused then said, slowly and calmly, “Pukahontas. But you can call me Puk.”

I tested my binds and realized they were as tight and solid as could be, escape was probably not going to happen.

I heard the tender, raspy voice behind me again, whispering, “Amir?”

I looked, back, surprised at hearing my name.

“I need to escape from here.” She looked blankly at me, as she continued.

“Well, yeah, I know what you mean.”

She giggled again and replied, “No, I know, but I need your help. Look, I am from the Tsafiki Tribe, in the southern realm of Ecuador, among the great forests. Mine is one of peace and great wisdom, worshipping the gods of the forest.”

She stopped a second, to scratch her nose with her shoulder, “I loved the forest and would go there all the time, to walk and wander through the woods. And I would find the spirits of the forest and I even befriended a small group of witches, from inside the forest.”

“Witches?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah, and they were really nice and we became friends, although they prefer the name, vegans. But one day, we were out doing our exercises, when suddenly the bandits came and stole me away.”

I looked at her, full of sadness. “The same happened to us.”

“Yeah? But these bandits aren’t any bandits.” She looked around and leaned in, close to my ear, as if to tell me a secret, “They’re poachers.”

“Poachers, Poachers for what?”

“Poachers! And they’re going to take us to that horrible place. We need to escape before we get there. We just have to. Without question. The most important thing is that we must, must must, must, must, must, just must, whatever it takes, escape before we get there.”

“Where?”

“You don’t know?!” She seemed amazed at my ignorance, ‘You don’t know where we are going?!”

I nodded my head in denial.

“O! o no!” She nodded ferociously, “It is a horrible place, a horrible place.”

Her eyes lit with what looked like old terror, “It’s gray and covered in smoke, and filthy and…” She stopped, all of a sudden, as she stared behind me.

I looked behind and saw above me the rising sign of smoke columns.

She whispered behind me, “We’re already here…”

I looked up and saw the massive pillars of grey smoke, rising above the tree tops. The entire sky became blackened, without a blue light to pass through.

My breath became fogged with that of some distant filth in the air. I coughed and my eyes itched with feeling of dust, just before we came out of the forest into a plain of death.

As far as I could see, there was not one living thing. The entire landscape was a sheer drop of mud, distant as my eyes could make. Burned stubs of logs and ashes riddled the landscape, coupled with small, concrete cottages. Except, these were not cottages, these were concrete bunkers, each in line, marking a wall created with barbed wire between them.

The bandits in front of us carried us upon a dirt road, out of the forest. Suddenly to my sides, I noticed the vast amount of people that had suddenly surrounded us. All of them, covered in black ash and coal, including their faces, had no expression at all. They simply stared at us, as we passed by, captive. They were dressed in what maybe once had been nice clothes, but now was merely piles of ripped rag. Each one of them held a pick and a shovel in one hand, and rifle on their backs. A few had the rifles held and even pointed them at our log, menacingly. But their expression was not different from the rest of the group, and neither were their clothes. They simply stared, expressions completely dry.

I looked behind me and asked Puk, now confused and frightened, “What is this place, Puk?”

I heard a sudden sound, something similar to a rifle firing, in the distance.

She did not answer, but continued to mumble, under her breath, “We must escape, must escape, must escape, we must escape, we must escape.”

I looked forward again and in the distance, I saw the distant abomination of concrete and steel.

Far off, to the edge of the wasteland, I could barely see where the smoke was coming from. It was a vast city, gray and without any color. High above, towers, smoke stacks, rose above the gray mass of houses. A tall concrete wall, decorated with barbed wire, circumvented the city, and stretched on and on.

Another loud noise echoed across the landscape, the sound of another rifle shot.

We passed wall after wall after wall of barbed wire, each time the crowd and smog, around my neck and eyes, like the smell of nails against a blackboard, increased. The people around us, grew more and more numerous, until they was literally no room to move or breathe. However, our road was kept open.

Among the crowd, each man, dressed in tattered rags, children, women, young girls, young boys, old women, all carried the rifles. All gray, all covered in smoke. However, they all avoided the main path, which led past the gates of wire, towards the immense urban sprawl.

Another shot, followed by another, split the muttering noise of the rabble.

The air became thicker than the loudest of unavoidable noise, like the hum in your head in silence, and suddenly I realized the crowd was slightly elevated from our bandits, carrying us across. In horror I saw this was due to the fact that the masses of people were standing on corpses. Thousands of dead bodies, all under the feet of the blank looking mob, which did not move, or stir, or twitch, but waited, grey as the bodies, to join below.

A line of men, slightly less ragged, passed to our right. The one in front rode a horse and was wearing a rather fancy hat, which made me think he was a general, but he still had the same empty look.

In front, I saw we were an approaching the great wall. The mob was now unimaginably crowded. Now, the soldiers were slightly distinguished from the crowd, by a red cap on their head. They stood in a line in front of a black, immense iron gate. They stood, unmoving, static, pointing their guns toward the crowd, protected by one last line of barbed wire.

From them were the sounds of rifle shots I could hear all along. Simply, occasionally, one soldier, without a move, without a single change in his expression, would pull the trigger, liberating another deadly shot, toward some random human being.

They stood in front, silent, only moving to reload. Uncaring.

The entire sight, the gate, the wall, the men, the shots, the sound, was gray. The massive wall loomed in front, all bled of color. Except for one thing, one massive sign, a giant flag, bright red, where all the blood of all the gray people around had poured into. The vast piece of velvet, scarlet red, had the face of a man, smiling teeth, white and wide, short hair and white skin. Above the face, in giant bold, golden letters read the word.

For Peace

The massive red piece of cloth shook in the grey, wind, twisting all the color in the city. The bandits, whose way had been permitted, passed below the massive red quilt, and before the gate, which creaked open with a tremendous amount of creaking. It echoed across the entire wasteland we had just passed.

I heard behind me Puk’s muttering growing louder and louder, “We must escape, we must escape, we must escape.”

Then we entered the gray, concrete city, the lofty, thick bodied wind hitting me square in the face. I cringed, as it smelled of rotting and dust.

Within, the crowds were less numerous; however the same submission reflected across every face. These faces deteriorated, some new, some old, all dashed around, busy in business.  

Every corner was monitored by more barely dressed soldiers from outside, pointing rifles. The city itself was a boxy, rectangular labyrinth of cracks and grey concrete. Every building was either concrete and a perfect square formation, or a massive spiraling smoke stack, made of long bleached brick. However, not the entire city was grey. The vast sprawl of buildings, cracks and holes, was covered on every feasible surface with the same red propaganda, the face and the words, “For Peace.”

These signs went on and on and on.

I suddenly realized that I had been sweating a great amount. The heat from the city, notably the perplexing air, was warming and caused my arms and legs to drip with moisture. My hands, now slick with the new liquid, felt loosened, and I even felt I might fall out of the fetters on the ground.

I held on, and whispered back to Puk, who continue to say, “Must escape, Must escape, must…”

Puk, I interrupted, “Do you want to escape?”

“Hmmm, what, huh… must.. must?” She sputtered around.

I whispered, again, “Shhhh… listen, Puk, can you wiggle out of the rope?”

She gently calmed down and twisted her wrists, gently feeling out. Suddenly, she let out a cry of joy, a mix of a giggle and a “Yes!”

Panicked, I looked around, worried something might have diverted someone’s attention. However, the coast was clear. “Okay,” I looked back at Puk, “When I say so, we can escape, and run off, towards…” I looked around. We were coming out of the main gate entrance, and heading into a fairly busy street, “There!” I kicked towards a small alleyway, crowded with silent, sitting people.

She nodded, her eyes growing wider and wider.

I looked around the log and the bandits holding us. I needed cover, something to stop the bandits from pursuing us afterwards.

Then from down the street, I saw, approaching, a long line, another group of soldiers. This was our chance. Quickly leaning back to whisper into Puk’s ear, I pulled my wrist out of the bonds and felt it slip. Then the other came out naturally, and I plummeted to the hard, concrete floor.

At first, I was intoxicated by my own freedom and the release of weight from my arms. I hit the ground, disturbing dust from the floor. I heard, as soon as I had hit the surface, Puk also slip out and fall. We both hit the ground, sitting down, dust flying all around us.

For a second, I did not move, frozen, numb, my ears un-working and unable, to understand what I was seeing.

Then, I felt the pull of a hand, on my own and I was on my feet, being dragged off, quickly by Puk, just as I heard the angry cries from behind.

“Stop!”

But we were already off. We both, passed just as the line of soldiers of blocked our pursuit. From behind me, I heard the call of the bandits, that same raspy voice, but we were already far away. Puk, and I, hand in hand, running deep into the grey city.

We were already running for five minutes before we both were well out of breath, both from our flight and from our fright. The noise from whence we had come was accumulating, almost as if the bandits had raised the alarm. The alley way we had chose wound all around, twisting, changing, going under and above the streets, but never coming out to the open. All around us, regular grey people waited, sitting, laying, and not interrupting our escape, not caring for the only human with any sort of destination. On the walls, occasionally hung another bright red textile, elegantly portraying this man.

We ran, across the city, almost stepping over the breathing corpses, until suddenly, we stumbled out of the silent alleyway, into a busy street. The newly mobile causeway of people was covered in soldiers and muttering people, a much livelier place than the entrance we had come from.

Puk, who had let go of my hand, looked around, confused, clearly distinguished, in her vibrant clothes. Mine also, as normal as they seemed to me, were quite out of place. Not only that, but I could see, a few soldiers staring at us, muttering and pointing.

“We need to keep going, I think,” I told Puk, leaning in.

She simply shook her head in agreement.

This time walking, we passed, integrated into the crowd, hopefully disappearing from the soldiers. After a few paces forward, following the street, which seemed to lead to the city center, I abruptly turned right, into a far less congested street, and heard Puk follow behind me.

Walking forward, I began to finally calm myself. This street was even emptier than the alleyway, void of the masses of sitting, watching people.  

As we walked, now at a calm pace, I looked back to Puk, who had also normalized her breathing, and told her, “We should be safe for now.”

Her eyes, still wide, she replied, “Yes, we escaped the poachers, but we still need to escape the city! And Besides!” she continued, “We still need to find your friend!”

“What friend?” I asked, dumbfounded and confused.

However, then, the two of us still walking, I suddenly remembered, “Naomi!” I yelled, suddenly stricken.

I had forgotten completely. Where had she gone? When had we been separated? Where was she now? How could I forgotten?

I looked at Puk, now desperate, “We need to go back! I can’t leave her behind!”

I began to walk faster, Puk following me, “Did you see her with me? When? How did you know about her? Was she okay? Why wasn’t she with us?”

Puk grabbed my arm, forcing me to slow down, “No no! Don’t worry, she’s okay. I saw her. They had her taken a few captives behind us. She was okay.”

I calmed myself. “But she’s still there, and we are here, how are we supposed to…”

Suddenly I crashed into something, and toppled it over, crashing down with it. I crashed on the floor, almost losing my glasses again, and scraping my elbow considerably.

Having so embarrassingly been careless, I made to pick myself up. As I did, I realized it was a man whom I had crashed into, and a soldier at that. His hair was black and sleek, combed back and upwards. He had brownish skin, and extremely expressive eyebrows.

I mumbled, When noticing the red cap, which stood on the man’s head. Not only this, but his uniform seemed neater, cleanlier, fancier. He must have been of a higher rank. A second, but far less fancy soldier, stood behind the man, his eyes as dead as anyone else.

In a surprisingly high pitched voice, the soldier looked me up and down and remarked, “Watch where you are going!!’

I stuttered, “Um, well, um.. I .. uh.. I think… well.”

“What?” he looked behind at Puk smirked, as if quite confused as to who or what we were supposed to be. He remarked, “Okay… What is going on? Who are you?” His voice, from one of nonchalance, suddenly changed as he ordered, “Identify yourselves!”

“Eh… Um, well… We…just, well.”

He laughed, staring, as I failed at talking, and turned to Puk, whose expression revealed nothing at all. “And you?.... what are you wearing?” He laughed as he motioned to Puk’s indigenous clothing.

“What?” Puk questioned, calmly, “You don’t like it?”

“No, it’s weird.”  His voice changed again, to one of severity, “What is your name! Who are you!”

“Um.. well. Um...we..she is...but when. Its.”

Puk answered, unwavering, ‘I’m Pukahontas. But you can call me Puk.”

The soldier, smirked, as if unable to believe the name, then looked towards me.

I simply did not move, still mumbling, nervous and confused. To his side, his companion, or entourage leaned in and whispered something in the man’s ear, which I managed to hear.

“Captain Jonbesh, Lord, sir, these two could be the escapees, from the southern Tom gate, which was announced. We should arrest them.”

The man leaned back away, and the wild-eyed captain exclaimed, “You two are under ARREST!”

I jumped, shocked by the sudden start. But then I regained my voice, “W-w-w Why?”

He stared at me with a rather nefarious smile and an iron gaze, “Why!? I’ll tell you why! You are perpetrating a crime of the highest gravity! You have done the most heinous of crimes! The most elephantine of evil acts! Upon escaping your captors, you have violated the sacred, solemn law of the inner state! The most high council of Legislation! The assembly of warring Peaceful institutions! The Grand Unions of Redundant Bureaucracy! The Jurisdiction of the FPPTCD! The FRMPP, The Acts of Merciful annihilation! And most of all, his highest, most notably, greatest of war like protectors of the national nation of Tomic rule! The greatest of the Tomic dynasty! President of the armed leaders!! Of the River Politics, and supreme overlord of the NATION OF SOUTH TOM!”

We both stared, blankly. Without a word. A few seconds of silence passed by, until finally Puk, in her calm, deep voice, answered:

“Who?”

“You don’t know the over-amazing, outstanding, protector of the Souls of Martyrs! Hero of Heroes, Saviour of Saviours! Master of the Cosmic Assemblies of Tomic Justice!?”

“Who?”

“TOM! KING TOM THE FIRST! RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE ROMIC THRONE! NAMER OF ALL!.... TOM!” Captain Jonbesh then pointed, outraged at the red velvet and the face which was posted all across the city. “THIS MAN! HIM! THIS GORGEOUS SOUL WHICH HAS SAVED US ALL WHO…”

However, as he screamed and pointed, Captain Jonbesh stepped one inch too close to Puk, who with a slight dip of her foot, tripped the captain and sent him flying for the concrete ash floor.

With a muffled “oof” Captain Jonbesh fell, face first against a concrete wall. The rest of his body hit the floor, with a thump. I watched, speechless, as the soldier behind me, ran forward, crying, “Sir!”

Then he too went flying, slipping on a small puddle, or at least what I thought was a puddle. The soldier slid a few centimeters, lost his balance, then tumbled, face first against a grey concrete wall. His body, like his master’s, hit the floor with a thud.