Edict 42

Chapter 15 - Alina

Alina looking through the car window was now face to face with the place she would be calling home. This part of the city which was commonly referred to as no man’s land was like an authority all to itself. Smog was thick in the air, with tons of graffiti and abandoned buildings. The look of the people rang danger. From her clothes to the way she talked and look, Alina knew she would be a target here but what choice did she have? Her legs were shaking in the back seat but she didn’t have much of a choice. It's either she goes here or dies. How long could she survive here though? She didn’t know anyone, a single soul. Most people walking the streets either had on a hoodie or a certain look to them of familiarity.

The man seated in the driver's seat before her was dreading every moment of being there. His hands were shivering on the steering wheel, she would have to go somewhere else and get out to find a better place so that she won’t stand out too much.

“Pull over by that building over there.” Alina pointed with her gun and biting her lips.

“Okay, Okay,” the man responded his eye registering it as he turned into the parking lot by the building.

Graffiti marked Tramp Kings Own, was sprayed all over the building. The place was a dump, the foul odor lingered in the air. It made the smog seem like a joke. All of the windows inside had been broken out and inside were bags and bags of garbage. The scent of the foul concoction was so strong it made Alina cover her nose. Yet Alina saw people inside this place some with barely any clothes on mostly men but there were women as well. They were staring at the car probably wondering what was going on.

“Are you going to let me go? Please I did everything that you ask me to,” the man pleaded.

Alina looked at the people and then at herself. Her clothes, she stood out in them. She looked at what the man was wearing the clothes would be baggy for her but if she cut them up she might look as though she stumbled upon them.

“ Your shirt, give me your shirt and pants.”

“What?” the man said in confusion.

“I need them, then you can go back to your life, I promise.”

The man complied and took off his shirt first and then his pants and passed it to Alina. She cut a few holes in his clothes with the knife before she changed into them in the back seat then she got out of the car. As soon as she did the man wasted no time in speeding off. The people inside the building were now looking at her alone.

Alina tried to appear calm and assessed all the other buildings in the area. Many of them were apartments or what seemed to be failed stores and gas stations. This was the part of the city the news people never reported on. They pretended it didn’t exist. Everyone did, but today Alina wouldn’t be able to pretend any longer.

“Who are you?” a voice asked from the inside. “Are you the police? Are you with Sally?”

Sally? Alina wondered.

“I am, Lina and I am not with the police.”

An old woman stepped outside the building. “You’re not with Sally then why are you here? You are one of those immortals?” The woman asked looking at the wound on Alina’s arm.

Alina went to respond but before she did the woman spoke again.

“We don’t like the immortals in these parts. Many people would probably kill ya on sight but Sally wouldn’t want that and she is one of ya all too.” She sighed. “If you wander off you’re probably going to die.” She stepped forward until she was face to face with Alina. “What are you doing here?”

“I have no place else to go, that’s why I am here. I lost everything and they are debtors tracking me down for a debt that I can’t pay. I took the last thing---.”

“That you had and came here. What did you expect to find here? A fresh start?” The woman looked back at the building and then to Alina. “You won’t find any of that here, it's hard to find food around here most people either commit a crime to get the CFG or CFG2 now or they get help from the outside.” Luckily we have the help that’s the only thing keeping us alive. Anyway, I won’t judge you come inside. When Sally gets here she will decide what to do next with you.”

The woman directed Alina with her hand, the stench was still too strong for Alina to adjust to. The woman laughed as Alina flinched, we don’t leave heer much you see like I said it's really dangerous outside. We tend to hoard the garbage and when it reaches a certain point we get rid of it by truck. The truck guy is a bit late this month.

Alina stepped inside of the building, it was bare and the faces of the people looked like the old woman, bleaked yet they still interacted with each other with a level of excitement. Their expressions were more in amusement towards her especially the children.

Taking in the surroundings, I guess this is where she would be staying for now until she met this woman called Sally.

#

It was pitch black now and the little lighted candles they had barely made anyone visible. The wind blew an icy breeze in causing Alina to shudder by its touch. She had covered herself as best as she could with the clothes that were with her. No one but the old woman had spoken to her. Everyone else kept their distance. Alina was hungry but she didn’t want to take out the food she had brought with her. Instead, she spent her time observing those around her.

Sally who was this person? Alina wondered, she had been given a place to stay for the moment. Rather as she looked around the room a spot to hold. She didn’t want to be too imposing as she thought about what to do next. The children faces seemed to come a light in the dark knowing that she might be visiting them soon.

There was a rumbling noise coming from outside as a car came to a park. The light from the car penetrated the room they were seated in. Alina squinted her eyes as she looked away and the car light was turned off.

“Sally’s here!” the children shouted running outside. The parents trying to keep up with them.

Alina, however, took a deep breath. She did not know what to expect from this person. A police officer? She could be one of them too.

The door opened outside and in walked a man and then a woman behind him from the voices the children were making that had to be her, Sally.

There were whispers as the old woman motioned towards them and Alina felt their eyes fell upon her before the two made their way towards her.

“Sally the man spoke, it's her, Dr. Cox,” the man said.

The suddenness of it made Alina panicked and she drew her gun at the man. Children screamed as adults pushed themselves in front of her.

Alina’s hand was shaking as she shifted her hand between the man and the woman.

“Calm down Dr. Cox, we aren’t here to hurt you, we have been looking for you for months, your husband has been missing you, we’re with the police.”

“The secret police, do you plan to get rid of me?”

The man gave her a puzzled look.

“The secret police?” Sally asked, “what gave you that idea, where were you all of this time, Dr. Cox? She asked easing forward, are you okay? There are kids in the room and we don’t mean to hurt you. “Tell us how we can make it easy for you to trust us?”

“Your guns, put your guns on the ground and skid them here. Then I can trust you.”

Okay, just keep the gun trained on us don’t move it to the children,” Sally said.

The two did as they were asked and kept their hands raised in the air.

Sally looked at the guns beside her and lowered her own. Her hands were still shaking and she looked left to right expecting something or someone else to appear.

“Dr. Cox are you okay?” Sally asked, “this is my partner Mark, can you tell us what happened to you and how you ended up being here?”

Alina sighed as she explained to them about the situation at work. A bit about her dream and what the government wanted to do, the prison, her escape, and how she finally ended up being here.

“s**t! I knew something was off with the chief and this whole case.”

“You think that’s what made Dr. Matters go free? They kind of said the same things in that regard about the virus and about the future.”

“Ryan saw it too?”

“Yeah he babbled this in the office, incoherently but we didn’t take it seriously. I don’t know if we should but I am more inclined to take the latter, that they plan to kill many people and that’s something I won’t sit down and allow.”

“Sally we have to be rational, lets talk to Frank about this first about what to do.”

“Rational? They are going to kill millions and millions of people so that they could harbour whatever food is left on this planet and who knows what else they might do. Hit the reset button. We have to do something, Mark.”

In the dark Alina saw Mark was in deep contemplation on what to do next. He looked up to the sky, deep in thoughts.

“It's best we talk to Frank. We secure, Dr. Cox for now and then we go from there. If it’s as bad as you say it is and the secret police are involved, this can get really ugly. I think maybe stirring up information in the news would work best to make people look at something first but they might just change it to something else.”

Alina responded, “We have to stop this, we have to stop it before they awaken the parasites that’s in everyone's body. The flesh eaters will start to pop up first. I know it sounds crazy but it's what I saw and certain events are playing out like my dream.”

“Are you going to come with us now? These people won’t feel safe knowing that you drew a gun like that, I think it would be best. You can trust that we will work together to get the truth and get you back to your family.”

“The chips, in your arm, they can track you with that. They can find you, they might be some outside.”

“No one was following us here, they don’t have a reason to follow us. You don’t have to worry.” Mark extended his arm. “You will be safe with us.”