On a sparrow's wings

Chapter 9 - Stomping in the urban mud

  After they had been following the highway for a while they spotted a sign that had “The Resurrection checkpoint” and that it was to the right and they followed the directions of the highway and into what the sign said was the Bridgeport district. After a short while they came across a line of people that stretched for what looked to be miles to Anastasia. To her right Anastasia could see one of the charred craters that the beams had left that day when it all began. No vegetation was growing in it, the only thing that resided in it was ash and dust. More were seen around bigger cities, circling them like a burnt prison.

  The line was guarded by armed guards in blue armor that covered them from head to toe. The armor itself was bulky and thick, as if it could stop a bullet right in its tracks. It was clean and sturdy as did their guns. They were on the roofs, around the line, behind the corners, all were clutching their guns tightly and surveying the people in the crows. The more Anastasia looked the more seemed to appear all around her. Vehicles were plastered around as well. Most of them had been civilian vehicles and had been fashioned into military ones with Iet metal, that shielded them, and bigger, thicker tires.

  They got in the back of the line. Most of the people looked weary from travel. They clothes were torn in one places and patched with different fabrics in others. Their faces seemed rough and a mean expression was showing on their faces.

  They waited an hour then two and another and another. It felt like ages and it was killing Anastasia.

“When will this torture end?”, She pulled at her hair.

“It’s only been half an hour.”

“What? That can’t be true!”

“Bitching about it won’t help.”, Michael crossed his arms.

Anastasia waited and waited. The line seemed to not be moving. With every eternity passed only a tiny, painfully slow step forward. At this rate she will have run out of food by the time they got past the small building they were walking along.

The sun seemed to not be moving as well. It lingered in the sky like a scorching ball of misery, laughing at her torment.

  The guards came looked her over as they did with all the people in the line. It made her feel uncomfortable and naked. They didn’t react to her but they gave Michael a longer and more stern look, like they thought he would be trouble. Michael only snorted and returned to his waiting.

  More time passed and it was awful without something to entertain herself with. But eventually they got to the front of the line, with only a few more people in front of them and the checkpoint. The checkpoint itself was five guards standing between a barrier of cars that blocked the road. A small tent had been erected above them. The rest of the city was hidden behind it. There were lights attached to the sides of the buildings at the sides of the barrier although they weren’t turned on right now. There were more guards in the upper floors of the buildings, peering at the line.

  Those few last people in front of them were the most dreagthfull. They took their time asking as many questions as they could and as slowly as possible. And the guard answered so slowly and in so much detail. Go through! Anastasia wanted to scream at them. Make them go through faster because the waiting was killing her.

  When there were next in line Michael told her to go along with what he says if they wanted to go though. He approached the guard. The guard was holding a notebook and pen, his gun was hanging from his waste.

“Names?”

“Michael and Anastasia Watson.”

“Am I correct to assume this is your daughter, sir?”

“Yes.”

The guard scribbled it in his notebook.

His daughter? Anastasia almost said it out loud but managed to contain the words only in her expression before they found their way to the surface. Why would he say that?

  “Purpose for visitation?”

“Work.”

The guard scribbled that down.

“Automatic weapons are not permitted within the Resurrection sanctioned safe zone, sir. We can offer you thirty cigarettes for them or you could leave them here and receive them on your leave from the safe zone.”

“Thirty is not enough. I got fortyfive last time.”

“Thirty is what we can offer you, sir.”

Michael signed and traded the smgs that he had looted from those Red Fist bandits.

  “When do you plan to leave the safe zone, sir?”

“Undecided.”

“Okay, lastly we will have to check you for contraband.”

Two guards came to them, checked their backpacks and patted them down. After which they were lead to the other side of the tent.

  Another guard stopped them, “Don’t cause any trouble and stay within the Resurrection sanctioned safe zone. And welcome to New Chicago.”, he handed them a map of the city. It showed it’s districts and some of them were circled in blue. It span from Bridgeport , where they entered the city, to Old Town to the north and to Aldine square to the south. Although there were holes in their territory to the south in Bronzeville and to the west in Near West Side and Lower West Side.

  Anastasia looked up from the map and finally saw the city as it was meant to be seen. The streets were covered in people. The life that was missing in the rest of the world was finally present in here. All kinds of people, with new clothes, with torn clothes, short, tall, old, young. It was almost like the cities of old.

  Almost, the buildings were damaged all over, a lot of windows broken and the walls were covered in bullet holes and fire damage. The inside seemed to be in the process of rebuilding and making them into shelter. Workers covered the inside, moving away debris and old torn furniture placing support beams inside them. The fixed what they could and replaced what they couldn’t. Anastasia was astonished at the amount of work that was being done here. People were trying to make this into a real city again.

  Michael broke her trance and they walked through the street. As they were making their way next to the crowds and lines of people that were wondering the streets like them Anastasia decided to ask, “Why did you say I was your sister?”

“And tell them what? That I stumbled upon you in a Red Fist camp and that I am on my way to save your brother from them?”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t believe that.”

“Telling them you are my daughter brings no questions.”

“And you are not saving Ethan, you are helping me save him.”

“Sure, kid”

  They continue through the street and a right into a street full of stalls. People were yelling out, “Best beans in the whole city!”, “Prices to die for only here!”. Everyone was saying the same thing with different words. People were crowding over them and haggling and arguing over prices.

“Keep close and watch your stuff.”, mumbled Michael as he looked all the people over.

  Anastasia follows Michael into the the entrance to the metro. Inside it there was a whole entire community. People had turned the derailed train into an apartment complex. There were tents pitched on top and around it.  The train itself was full of people, laying in it’s compartments, in the seats and on the floors. Sleeping bags littered it and clothes were hanging out to dry. There was a lot yelling, laughing and hushed voices that tried their best not to be heard. The air smelt of sweat, filth and can food.

  Inside the station itself there were more stalls but the items here seemed of better quality and things were more organized than up top. Even the people behind the stalls looked cleaner and, but only on the inside. Anastasia could see them try to scam people to the best of their abilities.

  Anastasia also saw more of the Resurrection guards. Although these ones had smaller and tighter armor and they had only batons and small handguns on their belts. They also had N.C.P.F. written on their backs in white spray paint. Anastasia saw them stopping people and searching them, arguing with the merchants and even a few beating some people with their batons. The station had a good number of them in it. When they saw Michael they gave a stare a bit longer than usual but didn’t bother them.

  Michael went to the the train tracks and headed through the northern tunnel, Anastasia followed after. After a few minutes of walking the light from the station was gone and Michael and Anastasia had to turn on their flashlights. And after that the cold set in, the tunnel was freezing cold in comparison to the warm station that they exited. Anastasia hugged herself to keep warm, Michael didn’t react. They kept walking and walking. Michael took tens of turns going through doors and exiting to new tacks and after what was twenty minutes of walking Michael stopped and turned left. They entered through the door that was there.

  On the other side there was a chain link fence that went from wall to wall and an armed guard behind it. He wasn’t one of the Resurrection guards, he had black armor and a shotgun in his hands. Pipes ran over their heads and around the corner behind the guard.

  “Hey, Michael. How’s Jim?”, the guard’s stern face turned to Anastasia.

“Dead.”

“Shame, he owed me thirty cigs.”, he turned to Anastasia, “Who is the girl?”

“She is-”

“His daughter. I am his daughter”, Anastasia answered for him.

Michael threw her a stern look.

“Really? I didn’t think you were the kind Michael.”

“Yeah, me neither.”, Michael turned to the guard.

“Whatever. You know the rules Michael. We don’t ask questions you don’t cause problems.”, the guard unlocked the chain link door and let them through.

  They went around the corner and kept walking.

“Look Michael. There has been a… change of leadership. Devin is out and you won’t like who is in. I can’t tell you more but try and be in and out fast.”, he showed them to the bunker door at the end of the corridor. He gave signal with his radio and the bunker door made sounds and it slowly opened. They entered a huge bunker.