PuristLove
Bluelighter
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- Dec 11, 2000
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Alright, the earlier post wasn't all of chapter 1. It ended up feeling incomplete and I added another 5,000 words to it, so there is going to be some "story" missing.
Secondly this isn't all of chapter 2. I found a good cutoff point and cut it short.
But MellaBopper, I didn't forget you: )
Enjoy
Love,
Pure
Not Twice Messiah-Chapter 2
By Eric West
David's hands broke his fall. He struck the broad concrete ledge after falling for about thirteen feet. Even though his hands touched first his head hit fairly hard. He was knocked unconscious.
The ledge was not visible from the window. The cops glanced down, but were far to high up to see the ground at the bottom. They radioed the police stationed at the bottom, and discovered that the body never hit the ground. Leaning out farther, they saw David's body sprawled on the concrete.
"I think he's dead, the fall must have snapped his neck," the officer said matter-of-factly.
"Alright, you wait here, I'll go down there and see if I can get out on that ledge through a window," the second cop did not enjoy the prospect of walking the ledge.
David awoke with a bright flash of pain in his forehead. He rolled over, confused and thinking he was in bed. Feeling the empty air with his arm, he looked out into the night sky. In shock and fear he slowly eased himself away from the edge.
Remembering the police he panicked and began to stand. He was disoriented, and picked himself up slowly. His first few steps were shaky.
The cop looked out the window. He had been staring into space and wasn't sure how much time had passed. When he saw that there was no longer a body where there had been one he cursed. He craned his neck further out the window and saw David edging his way, pressed up against the wall.
"Shit," he cursed again and lowered himself out of the window.
David saw the officer dangling and began running. His head hurt and he was dizzy.
Holding his breath, the cop dropped the seven feet and landed with a thud. The fall jarred his knees and his ankles hurt. He glanced down and was overcome with vertigo.
Seeing that the cop seemed to be afraid of the height David realized he had an advantage. The easy solution was to push the cop off of the ledge, but even in his panicked state David couldn't bring himself to do it.
As the officer felt his way along the wall, David searched for an open window. It was cold and this was unlikely. He did manage to put some distance between himself and the cop.
"Master David, stop and turn yourself in right now. This is insanity," Nathan's voice shocked David and he almost fell.
"I'm sorry Nathan, but I'm not turning myself in. People get arrested and disappear forever," David was beginning to fear that he was stuck on the ledge.
"Your father will protect you. He can hire lawyers. This can get cleared up," Nathan's worrying was the last thing David needed right now.
"This is a really, really bad time for this Nathan," David reached down and turned off the wrist computer.
The officer had apparently steeled himself against his fears and was speeding up now. David ran harder but the cop was getting closer. His body was tired from the night before, in pain from the fall, and generally unused to physical exertion. His breaths came in large, ragged gasps. His head pounded like he had drunk a thousand drinks the night before and topped it off by pounding nails with his forehead.
There was something lying on the ledge a few yards ahead of him and David raced towards it. "Thank you God," David said aloud when he saw that it was a concrete brick. It must have been discarded during the construction of the building. He picked it up and swung it at the first window he came to.
Something flew by his ear, coming so close that he could feel the wind from it. He turned and saw the cop looking down a long barrel at him. Police were no longer allowed to carry firearms, but they were armed with dart guns. The darts contained a powerful nervous agent that could render a grown man paralyzed in seconds.
"Give it up," the officer shouted, "I won't miss again."
David ignored him and continued to bang the brick against the window.
Another swing and it shattered. People inside, who had been gambling at various machines, stood open-mouthed.
David climbed in through the window and hustled through the room. The cop was right behind him. Inside the officer had the advantage, being no longer afraid. David knocked one of the gambling machines to the floor but the cop scrambled over it with no problem.
Inside, the cop could no longer use the dart gun because there were too many people. A flying dive placed his arms around David's legs. David fell to the ground and the officer clambered on top of him. He reached for the handcuffs attached to his belt.
"I'm sorry but I have to do this officer," David reached up and placed his hand on the cops neck. Placing three fingers over the cop's major pressure points, David squeezed tightly. The officer had been trained to withstand this and did not pass out. The pain, however, was unbearable and David shoved him off of his chest easily.
David got up to run again but the cop was quicker. Still recovering from the pain, his grasp was weak as he curled his hand around David's wrist. David broke away and then turned around. He seized the dart gun from the cop's belt.
The officer gasped when he realized that he had lost all control of the situation. "Again, I'm sorry officer, but I have to do this," David fired a dart into the cop's thigh and did not wait around long enough to hear the thump when he hit the ground.
The other officer had been making his way along the windows, checking for one that would open when the brick had come crashing through. He had raced across the room, knocking over an elderly couple in the process. Too hurried to apologize he had made it just in time to see his comrade fall.
"Freeze," he ordered reaching for the dart gun at his side.
David was quicker, spinning around and pulling the trigger. The officer fell and the gun emitted a loud beep, demanding to be reloaded. David cast it aside and ran towards the elevators. He pressed the button for it and then realized that there were probably cops waiting downstairs to arrest him.
He collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain. He was in desperate need of a plan. So far he had made it on sheer luck and instinct, but that would assuredly run out quickly. He watched a SkyLounge employee cautiously making his way to the bar. David's gaze ran over a large bag of trash, and then he saw the door marked "Employee's Only". There had to be a way to carry the trash down so that the guests did not see it. David was on his feet in an instant.
The door swung open for him and a crew of frightened workers screamed and fled. There was chaos. David grabbed a young woman. "How do you take the trash out?" He asked her.
"Th…Th…That way," she stuttered and pointed down a poorly lit corridor. He released her arm and she ran, screaming. David moved down the hall. He stumbled when he failed to see a step in the dark. Regaining his balance, he took the last few steps to the elevator and pressed the button that would bring it up.
He crossed his fingers, hoping that the cops weren't watching this lift. When it arrived he stepped inside and used voice command to send it to the bottom floor. It stank of garbage. The SkyLounge made a lot of effort when it came to its customers, but it couldn't afford a deodorizer for its employees.
David's nerves were on edge as the lift approached the lobby. He braced himself, ready to run as soon as the doors opened up.
A bell went off, to indicate they had arrived and the elevator's doors slid apart. He was off like a hooker who got paid first.
The cops stood at the other end of the lobby. They were listening to their radios, unsure as to what was going on upstairs. They had expected a report from the other officers by now.
At first they didn't notice David, but when they saw him running, instinct and long hours of training took over and they pursued him.
There was a door to the outside left unguarded. It was for the valets and porters, to carry in the luggage of the hotel guests. Because no one at SkyLounge gave much thought to the workers, no one had mentioned it to the police. David ran down the hall to the door, opened it, and was outside before the cops had even gotten to the service elevator yet.
The night was cold and the pollution was so thick that David couldn't see farther than a few feet in front of him. He ran down the sidewalk. There was a man in the all too familiar black uniform standing on the corner. When David ran by him he was in shock for a moment before he realized that he needed to give chase.
David wasn't sure where he was going. He needed somewhere safe to hide. His car wasn't an option. They could track that down with satellite. He was beginning to feel hopeless when he remembered Doper's Park. It was only about a mile away from here and the cops would never find him amongst the thousands of homeless addicts who lived there.
His thoughts were interrupted when he collided with a lady standing in the street. They tumbled for a second and then he was up and running again. "Sorry," he shouted back over his shoulder. When he turned his head he could not see the cop chasing behind him, but not too far away he could here the heavy stomp of boots striking the pavement.
"Asshole," she yelled after him. Then recognition dawned on her. "Hey your that guy that gave me all that money earlier."
When he didn't turn she went after him, "Hey, wait a minute. I want to thank you." He wasn't stopping so she sped up. It took her a moment to catch up with him.
"Hey, why are you running?"
David had very little breath left and barely got out, "Cops."
"Follow me," she grabbed his hand and pulled him down an alley. A few seconds later they heard the sound of someone running by. They raced to the end of the alley, where a thirty-foot high fence blocked them from going any farther. The woman went to the corner of the fence and fooled with it for a second. She removed a section of the fence and David ducked through the small hole behind her. She replaced it, and he saw that it was held in place by little pins. From a distance, it appeared perfectly whole. "I made that hole a long time ago," she told him.
They continued to run. She reached for his hand again and guided him into a ravine that ran through the center of the street. There was water at the bottom, and the odor of feces.
David did not have the energy to complain. On the left the water flowed into a large pipe. "In there," she pointed, "You'll have to crawl."
David grimaced as he got down on his hands and knees. The bottom of the pipe was slimy and he was repulsed but he kept going.
The pipes soon became a series of complex tunnels. She told him which direction to take and he went. After a short time, they came to a place where it was high enough to stand. David stretched his cramped legs.
"We're almost there," she told him.
"Almost where?" David asked.
"My…um…home," a few more steps and they turned a corner into a spacious room. Large metal tracks ran through it, and there were glass doors, leading into a carpeted area. They walked through the doors. David realized they were in some sort of archaic transportation center. It had obviously been abandoned long ago.
You can rest here; she indicated a plush bench with her hands. David had a million questions, but was too tired to ask them. He lay down and was asleep within seconds.
********************
There was light but no visible sun. David looked to the ground and saw that he had no shadow. It was as if the world itself gave off the light. He sat astride a proud white horse. Bearing a flaming white sword in his right hand, he rode valiantly down a dusty road. To face what foe, he was not sure.
The sky stretched out above him, an unbroken sea of deepest blue. His horse carried him easily, leaving David free to absorb his surroundings. In the far distance, beyond the hills, something glowed brightly.
Rounding a turn in the road, David's horse pulled to a stop. The horse whinnied loudly, obviously frightened. David was not left to wonder of what long.
Darkness consumed the light of the world. All was shadow. The darkest depth of the blackness was shaped in something roughly resembling a man.
"I am called Fear, bow before me," the blackness spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
David cringed in his saddle, paralyzed and unable to speak.
"I am your god now boy. I said bow," Fear's words were like hammers, striking David and causing him pain.
David was frozen. Then he turned the horse and they ran. The darkness chased behind him, changing all that he touched to gray and black.
David and his steed outran Fear easily. David realized that he would never see what was beyond those hills, creating the bright glow.
He brought the horse about. He really wanted to know what was out there. He wondered if Fear could harm him. It didn't appear to have much in the way of physical substance. More a wraith than anything. It could turn him gray, but was that harming?
He realized that the only danger Fear posed, was the danger of never seeing what was on the other side. David lifted his sword and charged into the blackness.
The horse got farther into the grayness and began to slow, eventually coming to a complete halt.
David eased his way off the horse's back. He raised his sword and ran forward. It felt as if someone stood behind him, tugging at his clothes. The tugging became more persistent, but David pushed on. When he reached the heart of the blackness, it was all he could do to press his sword into Fear's heart. The darkness collapsed about itself and David suddenly felt lighter than air.
His horse rejoined him and soon they were riding under the perfect sky again.
********************
Hands shook David awake roughly. "David, we have to get out of here. There are people in the tunnels. I think the cops are looking for you."
"What…wait…what?" David awoke confused, still hanging on to his dream. Trying to remember it.
"There are people walking around in the tunnels. They are miles away, but there are a lot of them. We have to leave soon or they are gonna find you. Is there anyone you know who can help you?"
"No, I don't think so. Hold on. Yes there is," He switched on the wrist-computer.
"Master David, how dare you? I've been worried sick all night. How could you turn me off?" Nathan's voice was whiney, but there was obvious concern.
"Nathan, I'm sorry. Look there's no time for games right now. Get Kaylie on the Screen quickly. And be careful, don't let them trace it."
"Master David, the police computer's are highly inferior to my programming. They couldn't catch me if I let them."
"Ok, Nathan, just hurry up," David was antsy.
A brief second passed and a man's face came on the screen. He wore the black uniform of law enforcement. "We knew you would try to contact her. We are holding her here until we catch you or you turn yourself in."
"Shit," David said out loud. Then he quickly flipped off the screen.
He could hear the voices of the police now too. They were far away, but getting closer. "Can you bring me out somewhere near 11th?"
"Yes but it will be a long walk. Are you ready to leave?"
"I think so. Hey, I never even got your name…" He felt suddenly very obligated to this young woman who had saved him.
"My dancing name was Faithless Lover. I've forgotten my real name, so why don't you just call me Faith?"
"How can you forgot your name?" David found that too hard to digest.
"Years of using Erase will do that to you," she grew defensive. David nodded. He knew about Erase. Erase was a drug designed to make you forget. You forgot your problems, along with everything else. David's one experiment with it had resulted in him being a zombie for two days. He had missed an important test and seriously screwed up his marks in that class. He'd sworn to never touch it again, but the first few days had been hard. And he had only used it once. Erase was highly addictive.
"So how did you get off of it?" David marveled at her. To have a serious dependency on it and then quit using would require tremendous willpower.
"It was this one night when I forgot to pick up my credits. Burl, Burl was my pimp, he picked it all up and then told me I hadn't gotten any and that I owed him extra. He beat me up pretty bad too. So every day when he would bring the drug to me after that, I would flush it down the toilet before I had the chance to think about it. The pain was unbearable sometimes, especially mentally, but when you steel yourself up to do something, you can do it," she paused and they heard footsteps and voices. They were still muffled but not so far away.
They began to run; she led him a different way this time. They turned so many corners David was thoroughly confused about where he was. After what amounted to about a mile, she stopped for a breath. David sat down and absent-mindedly began toying with the medallion around his neck.
She looked at him, open-mouthed, "That's it. That’s how they're tracking you down."
"How?" He just stared at her.
"Your ID medallion. It's coded to you, and it has to have some kind of transmitter in it. Get rid of it, quick."
David tried to take it off, but quickly discovered that it was too tight around his neck. They were placed on at birth, so that you grew into them. They were never, under any circumstances, removed.
The cord that held it on was some kind of plastic polymer. David tried to break it with his hands but couldn't. "Do you have anything sharp?" he asked her.
She shook her head no. They sat there thinking for a few minutes. David's face suddenly lit up and he pulled his herbal cigarettes and lighter out of his pocket. The laser in the lighter was very hot. Was it hot enough?
He lit a cigarette first. It had been a long time since he had smoked one. He lit another and handed it to Faith. "Thank you," she told him.
He held the plastic cord out as far from his neck as he could and then applied the laser-torch. At first nothing happened. Then the cord began to grow incredibly hot. It burned his neck; the flesh began to sizzle. The cord began to melt a little at the place where the flame was applied. It slowly grew thinner there, and little drops of hot plastic fell steaming to the floor.
David ripped the cord and tore it off. His neck was curved in blisters and his fingers were burned. His wrists were still very sore from the fall yesterday, and he thought he might have broken some fingers.
"You need medical attention," Faith gave him a look of sympathy.
"Well I don't think that's possible right now," he lashed out at her and immediately regretted it, "I'm sorry. I know you just want to help. But there isn't much we can do right now. Just get me safely to the streets."
"Alright, let's get rid of that ID ok?" She was worried about him.
"Can you do it? I just need to sit here another minute."
Faith picked the amulet up from the ground and through it down one of the tunnels into a pool of water. "That should keep them puzzled for a while."
They got up and began a slow jog again. Soon she had him turn off into a pipe too small to walk in. Their pace was slowed by having to crawl. David was behind her, and he asked out of curiosity, "So what was that place back there?"
"An abandoned subway station. I found it when I was a little girl, and when I ran away from home that's where I lived."
"You ran away from home?" David realized he knew nothing about her, although she had pretty much saved him from arrest.
"Yeah. My mom was abusive. I couldn't take it anymore so I left when I was fourteen. I lived down there for years before my drug problem put me so in debt to Burl that he made me a dancer."
"I'm sorry," Suddenly David understood how fortunate he had been. There was so much suffering in the world that he had never been subjected too.
"It's not your fault," she paused, "Since we're sharing secrets, want to tell me why we're running from the police?"
"Well, when they came to arrest me at the SkyLounge they said it was for drug use. They had recorded me using drugs at this party I went to Friday night."
"But how did they know? That just seems odd."
"I know. I mean, I've partied for years and never knew of anybody getting busted that way. Drug busts only happen to dealers, and people that do them and drive."
"There has to be something else. Have you ever done anything else?" Faith was intrigued.
"No. I party and I go to school and that's it. I don't even speed when I drive."
They fell silent, left with too many questions. The bottom of the pipe had a one-inch layer of mud and slime, beneath the water that they crawled through. David's body was caked with grime. He felt absolutely terrible. His body hurt, and he was more than convinced that something in his hand was broken. The fall out of the window was too far for something not to be, and it wouldn't quit hurting. It was too dark in the tunnel to see if it was swollen. He'd have to wait until they passed under another crack in the streets above.
After hours of crawling through the sludge, Faith finally paused in the darkness. David bumped into her, "Sorry, are we there?"
"Shhh," she hushed him, "People might hear us."
They sat there for a moment, listening. When Faith was positive that no one was nearby she motioned for David to help her. They lifted a heavy steel plate that allowed access to the network of pipes below.
Sun streamed in, and David followed Faith out into the open air. Even the pollution of the city was better than the stench of the underground. He stretched overly sore limbs and lay for a minute on the concrete. Looking around, he realized they were in the middle of a basketball court.
Some homeless people huddled together by the fence. David felt sorry for them, not thinking of his own suffering. He wished he had some credits to give them.
There was a Mindscapes across the street, and David knew where he was. He had less than two blocks to walk and he would be at Z's apartment.
"Faith, I want to thank you for everything you've done to help me. I wish I could do something for you in return," David was grateful.
"Look, you freed me from slavery, you owe me nothing. But if you think I'm leaving you now, you have got another thing coming," She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him.
Even covered in mud, she was pretty. Something about the stubborn expression on her face made her green eyes sparkle. David was reminded of Kaylie, and realized that she was in prison because of him.
"One girl has already gotten arrested because of me, I won't let you join her there. You've earned your freedom, go enjoy it."
"Go enjoy what? Living under the streets. David, I have nowhere to go and nobody to go to. I want to help you, please let me?" She sounded so sincere that David couldn't tell her no.
"Ok, c'mon. We're gonna go see if my friend Z can help me." He climbed to his feet and together they began walking towards the tall apartment building.
***********
My first novel is available at www.literaryclearinghouse.com/ericwest.htm
------------------
Intelligence is not best measured by the answers you have but by the questions that you ask
Secondly this isn't all of chapter 2. I found a good cutoff point and cut it short.
But MellaBopper, I didn't forget you: )
Enjoy
Love,
Pure
Not Twice Messiah-Chapter 2
By Eric West
David's hands broke his fall. He struck the broad concrete ledge after falling for about thirteen feet. Even though his hands touched first his head hit fairly hard. He was knocked unconscious.
The ledge was not visible from the window. The cops glanced down, but were far to high up to see the ground at the bottom. They radioed the police stationed at the bottom, and discovered that the body never hit the ground. Leaning out farther, they saw David's body sprawled on the concrete.
"I think he's dead, the fall must have snapped his neck," the officer said matter-of-factly.
"Alright, you wait here, I'll go down there and see if I can get out on that ledge through a window," the second cop did not enjoy the prospect of walking the ledge.
David awoke with a bright flash of pain in his forehead. He rolled over, confused and thinking he was in bed. Feeling the empty air with his arm, he looked out into the night sky. In shock and fear he slowly eased himself away from the edge.
Remembering the police he panicked and began to stand. He was disoriented, and picked himself up slowly. His first few steps were shaky.
The cop looked out the window. He had been staring into space and wasn't sure how much time had passed. When he saw that there was no longer a body where there had been one he cursed. He craned his neck further out the window and saw David edging his way, pressed up against the wall.
"Shit," he cursed again and lowered himself out of the window.
David saw the officer dangling and began running. His head hurt and he was dizzy.
Holding his breath, the cop dropped the seven feet and landed with a thud. The fall jarred his knees and his ankles hurt. He glanced down and was overcome with vertigo.
Seeing that the cop seemed to be afraid of the height David realized he had an advantage. The easy solution was to push the cop off of the ledge, but even in his panicked state David couldn't bring himself to do it.
As the officer felt his way along the wall, David searched for an open window. It was cold and this was unlikely. He did manage to put some distance between himself and the cop.
"Master David, stop and turn yourself in right now. This is insanity," Nathan's voice shocked David and he almost fell.
"I'm sorry Nathan, but I'm not turning myself in. People get arrested and disappear forever," David was beginning to fear that he was stuck on the ledge.
"Your father will protect you. He can hire lawyers. This can get cleared up," Nathan's worrying was the last thing David needed right now.
"This is a really, really bad time for this Nathan," David reached down and turned off the wrist computer.
The officer had apparently steeled himself against his fears and was speeding up now. David ran harder but the cop was getting closer. His body was tired from the night before, in pain from the fall, and generally unused to physical exertion. His breaths came in large, ragged gasps. His head pounded like he had drunk a thousand drinks the night before and topped it off by pounding nails with his forehead.
There was something lying on the ledge a few yards ahead of him and David raced towards it. "Thank you God," David said aloud when he saw that it was a concrete brick. It must have been discarded during the construction of the building. He picked it up and swung it at the first window he came to.
Something flew by his ear, coming so close that he could feel the wind from it. He turned and saw the cop looking down a long barrel at him. Police were no longer allowed to carry firearms, but they were armed with dart guns. The darts contained a powerful nervous agent that could render a grown man paralyzed in seconds.
"Give it up," the officer shouted, "I won't miss again."
David ignored him and continued to bang the brick against the window.
Another swing and it shattered. People inside, who had been gambling at various machines, stood open-mouthed.
David climbed in through the window and hustled through the room. The cop was right behind him. Inside the officer had the advantage, being no longer afraid. David knocked one of the gambling machines to the floor but the cop scrambled over it with no problem.
Inside, the cop could no longer use the dart gun because there were too many people. A flying dive placed his arms around David's legs. David fell to the ground and the officer clambered on top of him. He reached for the handcuffs attached to his belt.
"I'm sorry but I have to do this officer," David reached up and placed his hand on the cops neck. Placing three fingers over the cop's major pressure points, David squeezed tightly. The officer had been trained to withstand this and did not pass out. The pain, however, was unbearable and David shoved him off of his chest easily.
David got up to run again but the cop was quicker. Still recovering from the pain, his grasp was weak as he curled his hand around David's wrist. David broke away and then turned around. He seized the dart gun from the cop's belt.
The officer gasped when he realized that he had lost all control of the situation. "Again, I'm sorry officer, but I have to do this," David fired a dart into the cop's thigh and did not wait around long enough to hear the thump when he hit the ground.
The other officer had been making his way along the windows, checking for one that would open when the brick had come crashing through. He had raced across the room, knocking over an elderly couple in the process. Too hurried to apologize he had made it just in time to see his comrade fall.
"Freeze," he ordered reaching for the dart gun at his side.
David was quicker, spinning around and pulling the trigger. The officer fell and the gun emitted a loud beep, demanding to be reloaded. David cast it aside and ran towards the elevators. He pressed the button for it and then realized that there were probably cops waiting downstairs to arrest him.
He collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain. He was in desperate need of a plan. So far he had made it on sheer luck and instinct, but that would assuredly run out quickly. He watched a SkyLounge employee cautiously making his way to the bar. David's gaze ran over a large bag of trash, and then he saw the door marked "Employee's Only". There had to be a way to carry the trash down so that the guests did not see it. David was on his feet in an instant.
The door swung open for him and a crew of frightened workers screamed and fled. There was chaos. David grabbed a young woman. "How do you take the trash out?" He asked her.
"Th…Th…That way," she stuttered and pointed down a poorly lit corridor. He released her arm and she ran, screaming. David moved down the hall. He stumbled when he failed to see a step in the dark. Regaining his balance, he took the last few steps to the elevator and pressed the button that would bring it up.
He crossed his fingers, hoping that the cops weren't watching this lift. When it arrived he stepped inside and used voice command to send it to the bottom floor. It stank of garbage. The SkyLounge made a lot of effort when it came to its customers, but it couldn't afford a deodorizer for its employees.
David's nerves were on edge as the lift approached the lobby. He braced himself, ready to run as soon as the doors opened up.
A bell went off, to indicate they had arrived and the elevator's doors slid apart. He was off like a hooker who got paid first.
The cops stood at the other end of the lobby. They were listening to their radios, unsure as to what was going on upstairs. They had expected a report from the other officers by now.
At first they didn't notice David, but when they saw him running, instinct and long hours of training took over and they pursued him.
There was a door to the outside left unguarded. It was for the valets and porters, to carry in the luggage of the hotel guests. Because no one at SkyLounge gave much thought to the workers, no one had mentioned it to the police. David ran down the hall to the door, opened it, and was outside before the cops had even gotten to the service elevator yet.
The night was cold and the pollution was so thick that David couldn't see farther than a few feet in front of him. He ran down the sidewalk. There was a man in the all too familiar black uniform standing on the corner. When David ran by him he was in shock for a moment before he realized that he needed to give chase.
David wasn't sure where he was going. He needed somewhere safe to hide. His car wasn't an option. They could track that down with satellite. He was beginning to feel hopeless when he remembered Doper's Park. It was only about a mile away from here and the cops would never find him amongst the thousands of homeless addicts who lived there.
His thoughts were interrupted when he collided with a lady standing in the street. They tumbled for a second and then he was up and running again. "Sorry," he shouted back over his shoulder. When he turned his head he could not see the cop chasing behind him, but not too far away he could here the heavy stomp of boots striking the pavement.
"Asshole," she yelled after him. Then recognition dawned on her. "Hey your that guy that gave me all that money earlier."
When he didn't turn she went after him, "Hey, wait a minute. I want to thank you." He wasn't stopping so she sped up. It took her a moment to catch up with him.
"Hey, why are you running?"
David had very little breath left and barely got out, "Cops."
"Follow me," she grabbed his hand and pulled him down an alley. A few seconds later they heard the sound of someone running by. They raced to the end of the alley, where a thirty-foot high fence blocked them from going any farther. The woman went to the corner of the fence and fooled with it for a second. She removed a section of the fence and David ducked through the small hole behind her. She replaced it, and he saw that it was held in place by little pins. From a distance, it appeared perfectly whole. "I made that hole a long time ago," she told him.
They continued to run. She reached for his hand again and guided him into a ravine that ran through the center of the street. There was water at the bottom, and the odor of feces.
David did not have the energy to complain. On the left the water flowed into a large pipe. "In there," she pointed, "You'll have to crawl."
David grimaced as he got down on his hands and knees. The bottom of the pipe was slimy and he was repulsed but he kept going.
The pipes soon became a series of complex tunnels. She told him which direction to take and he went. After a short time, they came to a place where it was high enough to stand. David stretched his cramped legs.
"We're almost there," she told him.
"Almost where?" David asked.
"My…um…home," a few more steps and they turned a corner into a spacious room. Large metal tracks ran through it, and there were glass doors, leading into a carpeted area. They walked through the doors. David realized they were in some sort of archaic transportation center. It had obviously been abandoned long ago.
You can rest here; she indicated a plush bench with her hands. David had a million questions, but was too tired to ask them. He lay down and was asleep within seconds.
********************
There was light but no visible sun. David looked to the ground and saw that he had no shadow. It was as if the world itself gave off the light. He sat astride a proud white horse. Bearing a flaming white sword in his right hand, he rode valiantly down a dusty road. To face what foe, he was not sure.
The sky stretched out above him, an unbroken sea of deepest blue. His horse carried him easily, leaving David free to absorb his surroundings. In the far distance, beyond the hills, something glowed brightly.
Rounding a turn in the road, David's horse pulled to a stop. The horse whinnied loudly, obviously frightened. David was not left to wonder of what long.
Darkness consumed the light of the world. All was shadow. The darkest depth of the blackness was shaped in something roughly resembling a man.
"I am called Fear, bow before me," the blackness spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
David cringed in his saddle, paralyzed and unable to speak.
"I am your god now boy. I said bow," Fear's words were like hammers, striking David and causing him pain.
David was frozen. Then he turned the horse and they ran. The darkness chased behind him, changing all that he touched to gray and black.
David and his steed outran Fear easily. David realized that he would never see what was beyond those hills, creating the bright glow.
He brought the horse about. He really wanted to know what was out there. He wondered if Fear could harm him. It didn't appear to have much in the way of physical substance. More a wraith than anything. It could turn him gray, but was that harming?
He realized that the only danger Fear posed, was the danger of never seeing what was on the other side. David lifted his sword and charged into the blackness.
The horse got farther into the grayness and began to slow, eventually coming to a complete halt.
David eased his way off the horse's back. He raised his sword and ran forward. It felt as if someone stood behind him, tugging at his clothes. The tugging became more persistent, but David pushed on. When he reached the heart of the blackness, it was all he could do to press his sword into Fear's heart. The darkness collapsed about itself and David suddenly felt lighter than air.
His horse rejoined him and soon they were riding under the perfect sky again.
********************
Hands shook David awake roughly. "David, we have to get out of here. There are people in the tunnels. I think the cops are looking for you."
"What…wait…what?" David awoke confused, still hanging on to his dream. Trying to remember it.
"There are people walking around in the tunnels. They are miles away, but there are a lot of them. We have to leave soon or they are gonna find you. Is there anyone you know who can help you?"
"No, I don't think so. Hold on. Yes there is," He switched on the wrist-computer.
"Master David, how dare you? I've been worried sick all night. How could you turn me off?" Nathan's voice was whiney, but there was obvious concern.
"Nathan, I'm sorry. Look there's no time for games right now. Get Kaylie on the Screen quickly. And be careful, don't let them trace it."
"Master David, the police computer's are highly inferior to my programming. They couldn't catch me if I let them."
"Ok, Nathan, just hurry up," David was antsy.
A brief second passed and a man's face came on the screen. He wore the black uniform of law enforcement. "We knew you would try to contact her. We are holding her here until we catch you or you turn yourself in."
"Shit," David said out loud. Then he quickly flipped off the screen.
He could hear the voices of the police now too. They were far away, but getting closer. "Can you bring me out somewhere near 11th?"
"Yes but it will be a long walk. Are you ready to leave?"
"I think so. Hey, I never even got your name…" He felt suddenly very obligated to this young woman who had saved him.
"My dancing name was Faithless Lover. I've forgotten my real name, so why don't you just call me Faith?"
"How can you forgot your name?" David found that too hard to digest.
"Years of using Erase will do that to you," she grew defensive. David nodded. He knew about Erase. Erase was a drug designed to make you forget. You forgot your problems, along with everything else. David's one experiment with it had resulted in him being a zombie for two days. He had missed an important test and seriously screwed up his marks in that class. He'd sworn to never touch it again, but the first few days had been hard. And he had only used it once. Erase was highly addictive.
"So how did you get off of it?" David marveled at her. To have a serious dependency on it and then quit using would require tremendous willpower.
"It was this one night when I forgot to pick up my credits. Burl, Burl was my pimp, he picked it all up and then told me I hadn't gotten any and that I owed him extra. He beat me up pretty bad too. So every day when he would bring the drug to me after that, I would flush it down the toilet before I had the chance to think about it. The pain was unbearable sometimes, especially mentally, but when you steel yourself up to do something, you can do it," she paused and they heard footsteps and voices. They were still muffled but not so far away.
They began to run; she led him a different way this time. They turned so many corners David was thoroughly confused about where he was. After what amounted to about a mile, she stopped for a breath. David sat down and absent-mindedly began toying with the medallion around his neck.
She looked at him, open-mouthed, "That's it. That’s how they're tracking you down."
"How?" He just stared at her.
"Your ID medallion. It's coded to you, and it has to have some kind of transmitter in it. Get rid of it, quick."
David tried to take it off, but quickly discovered that it was too tight around his neck. They were placed on at birth, so that you grew into them. They were never, under any circumstances, removed.
The cord that held it on was some kind of plastic polymer. David tried to break it with his hands but couldn't. "Do you have anything sharp?" he asked her.
She shook her head no. They sat there thinking for a few minutes. David's face suddenly lit up and he pulled his herbal cigarettes and lighter out of his pocket. The laser in the lighter was very hot. Was it hot enough?
He lit a cigarette first. It had been a long time since he had smoked one. He lit another and handed it to Faith. "Thank you," she told him.
He held the plastic cord out as far from his neck as he could and then applied the laser-torch. At first nothing happened. Then the cord began to grow incredibly hot. It burned his neck; the flesh began to sizzle. The cord began to melt a little at the place where the flame was applied. It slowly grew thinner there, and little drops of hot plastic fell steaming to the floor.
David ripped the cord and tore it off. His neck was curved in blisters and his fingers were burned. His wrists were still very sore from the fall yesterday, and he thought he might have broken some fingers.
"You need medical attention," Faith gave him a look of sympathy.
"Well I don't think that's possible right now," he lashed out at her and immediately regretted it, "I'm sorry. I know you just want to help. But there isn't much we can do right now. Just get me safely to the streets."
"Alright, let's get rid of that ID ok?" She was worried about him.
"Can you do it? I just need to sit here another minute."
Faith picked the amulet up from the ground and through it down one of the tunnels into a pool of water. "That should keep them puzzled for a while."
They got up and began a slow jog again. Soon she had him turn off into a pipe too small to walk in. Their pace was slowed by having to crawl. David was behind her, and he asked out of curiosity, "So what was that place back there?"
"An abandoned subway station. I found it when I was a little girl, and when I ran away from home that's where I lived."
"You ran away from home?" David realized he knew nothing about her, although she had pretty much saved him from arrest.
"Yeah. My mom was abusive. I couldn't take it anymore so I left when I was fourteen. I lived down there for years before my drug problem put me so in debt to Burl that he made me a dancer."
"I'm sorry," Suddenly David understood how fortunate he had been. There was so much suffering in the world that he had never been subjected too.
"It's not your fault," she paused, "Since we're sharing secrets, want to tell me why we're running from the police?"
"Well, when they came to arrest me at the SkyLounge they said it was for drug use. They had recorded me using drugs at this party I went to Friday night."
"But how did they know? That just seems odd."
"I know. I mean, I've partied for years and never knew of anybody getting busted that way. Drug busts only happen to dealers, and people that do them and drive."
"There has to be something else. Have you ever done anything else?" Faith was intrigued.
"No. I party and I go to school and that's it. I don't even speed when I drive."
They fell silent, left with too many questions. The bottom of the pipe had a one-inch layer of mud and slime, beneath the water that they crawled through. David's body was caked with grime. He felt absolutely terrible. His body hurt, and he was more than convinced that something in his hand was broken. The fall out of the window was too far for something not to be, and it wouldn't quit hurting. It was too dark in the tunnel to see if it was swollen. He'd have to wait until they passed under another crack in the streets above.
After hours of crawling through the sludge, Faith finally paused in the darkness. David bumped into her, "Sorry, are we there?"
"Shhh," she hushed him, "People might hear us."
They sat there for a moment, listening. When Faith was positive that no one was nearby she motioned for David to help her. They lifted a heavy steel plate that allowed access to the network of pipes below.
Sun streamed in, and David followed Faith out into the open air. Even the pollution of the city was better than the stench of the underground. He stretched overly sore limbs and lay for a minute on the concrete. Looking around, he realized they were in the middle of a basketball court.
Some homeless people huddled together by the fence. David felt sorry for them, not thinking of his own suffering. He wished he had some credits to give them.
There was a Mindscapes across the street, and David knew where he was. He had less than two blocks to walk and he would be at Z's apartment.
"Faith, I want to thank you for everything you've done to help me. I wish I could do something for you in return," David was grateful.
"Look, you freed me from slavery, you owe me nothing. But if you think I'm leaving you now, you have got another thing coming," She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him.
Even covered in mud, she was pretty. Something about the stubborn expression on her face made her green eyes sparkle. David was reminded of Kaylie, and realized that she was in prison because of him.
"One girl has already gotten arrested because of me, I won't let you join her there. You've earned your freedom, go enjoy it."
"Go enjoy what? Living under the streets. David, I have nowhere to go and nobody to go to. I want to help you, please let me?" She sounded so sincere that David couldn't tell her no.
"Ok, c'mon. We're gonna go see if my friend Z can help me." He climbed to his feet and together they began walking towards the tall apartment building.
***********
My first novel is available at www.literaryclearinghouse.com/ericwest.htm
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Intelligence is not best measured by the answers you have but by the questions that you ask
