Thicker than Water
By: Ryan Stoddard
Few call me by my name, Rain. I was born in Mobridge one hundred and thirty five years after the Great War. My parents, Ash and Crystal, are direct descendants of the founder Abraham. My grandfather, Abraham Mobridge, established the village of Mobridge almost one hundred years ago. Abraham wrote a book concerning the Great War. He was 19 when the conflict started, so all of the information is first hand.
The book of Abraham starts, "War. War never changes. The end of the world occurred pretty much as we had predicted. Too many humans, not enough space or resources to go around. The details are trivial and pointless. The reasons, as always, purely human ones. The earth was nearly wiped clean of life. A great cleansing, an atomic spark, struck by human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of nuclear fires rained from the skies. Continents were swallowed in flames, and fell beneath the boiling oceans. Humanity was almost extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the background radiation that blanketed the earth. A quiet darkness fell across the planet, lasting many years. Few survived the devastation. Some had been fortunate enough to reach safety, taking shelter in great underground vaults. When the darkness passed these vaults opened. Their inhabitants emerged to begin their life again.
I was one of the fortunate. After the vault doors opened, I realized that the community was weak, and not able to cope with living outside of the vault. Many of them have never seen the sky before. There was a movement that we should stay in the vaults, but food would eventually run out. We would all perish. Most didn't see the logic, and refused to leave. When death is imminent, one must take any and all risks to survive. I left the shelter of the vaults along with several other enlightened vault-dwellers. We left with the knowledge that our friends and loved ones would surely die." Later written in the book are the words, "Never forget the past, or we will be doomed to repeat it."
Well, its too bad Abraham was right. After the war there weren't enough people who understood this to save humanity. Almost all technology has been lost. I have heard of a few groups that have claimed to preserve technology, but they exist only in myth. Because of the lack of machinery, people had to do all the work again. Life was hard and many people died.
One group known as the "Brotherhood of Life" overcame this obstacle. The Brotherhood of Life
was a radical group of religious fanatics who were convinced the world was going to end in the
year 2000. So they stockpiled up on high-tech weapons and food and went into hiding in some
underground cavern, and waited for the world to end. Everyone branded them as lunatics. If only people knew what was about to happen. May 20, 1999… USA made a move for the Canadian border. The war started and ended within a few months. At first it was only conventional warfare, but then Canada used nukes. Nukes, as the book of Abraham describes them, are massive spears of metal, with the power to disintegrate whole cities. USA retaliated, then Russia and China got involved. The planet was left in radiated ruin. The Brotherhood of Life just laughed from their subterranean refuge, and watched the rest of humanity burn. After the war they came out of hiding and quickly took control of much of the dwindling recourses. With their superior weapon technology that they preserved during the war, the few survivors could not stop them. Eventually their empire became too large for them to use efficiently. There was too much work to be done, and not enough people to do the work. So they began a guild of slavers, that wandered the wastelands looking for slaves to send here, to work in the mines of Ke'su. Now human slaves are treated like livestock. We are barley feed. If we become too weak to work, we are murdered. So mankind took a flying leap backwards in the quest for an everlasting peace.
The door opened, blinding light shot in from the outside hallway. Vince's tired bloodstained body staggered through the door and towards me. He laid down next to me on a rock bed that had been carved by our hosts for our comfort. His sun bright hair was stained red from his own blood, his face was dirty but still had a handsome definition. A beard had started growing, for our "masters" forbid us to have sharp items unless we are working in the mines. Vince rolled over, so that his back was exposed. I saw that he had been whipped again, hard this time. He was still bleeding.
"What the hell did you do this time to get these?" I asked as I tore his battered shirt to get
something to bandage the wound.
"Called the Captain a slave driver. Not to his face of course, but one of his lackeys heard and well, he got a little mean. I don't understand why he got so upset, I mean that is his position and all. I really don't like him," He grimaced as I cleaned his wound with an antiseptic swab. Our "masters" had let us keep some of our gear, as long as it wasn't pointy or poisonous. I wish I had my surgery kit though, Vince could have used some stitches for the cuts the Captain's bullwhip gave him. After cleaning the cloth I made a second class pressure bandage, to stop the bleeding. He rolled over and sat up. "You know, they could have given us a better room, one with a better view, or at least a window of some sort. Hell, a small hole in the wall would be great. And some of that…what is it called again… running water!" Vince's sarcastic tone made me chuckle. His company was the lone glow of fire in my heart.
"The room should have a swimming pool at least! I mean what are we…slaves or something?" I played along. I couldn't help laughing out loud. We may not have had our freedom, but at least we could still laugh. "I think a toilet would be great too, what are we…" The door suddenly burst open halting our conversation. Three armed men walked into our cell. One of them stepped forward into the light; his figure emerged from the darkness. It was the Captain. He was a beast of a man. Dark tangled hair covered his pig like face. His eyes pierced out from under the horrid nest with two separate glowing orbs. One was red, the other was a color that I was convinced was the color of evil itself; it was a shadowy black that reeked of death. His scar quenched hand motioned for us to get up. Vince leaned over towards me.
"I don't think I like him at all," Vince whispered to me as comically as the circumstances
allowed. The Captain just growled and wrenched both of us so that our eyes were level with his.
His massive arms kept our feet from touching the ground. He stared first at me. His piercing eyes dug into my brain and I had to look away. He raised me high and then tossed me like a bag into a corner of the cell. My leg throbbed with pain, and my arm had a sharp rock stuck in it, about the size as a football. I moved slowly as I pulled the stone from my arm. I dared not bring any unneeded attention to myself.
"You are the one… always with the insults… always with the disrespect," the Captains voice was cool and steady.
"And you, Captain, are the one… always with the whipping," Vince's voice was just as cool and steady, but I could tell he realized that he just made a huge mistake. To both of our surprise the Captain put him down and turned around. The other two guards handed him two sacks. The Captain put them down and looked through them briefly. He tossed both of them at me.
"I have some good news for you," his message was directed at me. "These rations will last you twice as long," A cruel smile formed on his twisted face. He then spun around and grabbed Vince by the neck, lifting Vince's body high above his own head. Laughing, he began to squeeze. As Vince's life began to fade from his kicking body I looked around desperately. I saw the stone that was wedged in my arm earlier. With adrenaline pumping I grabbed the stone and rushed the Captain, stabbing him in the side aiming for a particularly sensitive part of his back. I could hear my heart pounding with the heat of battle. My furious attack continued. I left the stone in theCaptain's side, to wedge itself better against a nerve, and pounded at it more so that it would dig deeper. The Captain's arm raised and pounded my face. I flew back into the corner making a dent in the stone wall. I could see my own blood drip over my eyes. Vince kicked wildly and by some lucky star struck home in the Captain's groin. The Captain's grip loosened and he toppled over in a groaning heap. A sense of triumph came over my body. Time almost stopped, as I watched Vince's face look at me and smiled. And the barrel of a shotgun slowly pointed at his left ear. Vince's smile was forever etched on his face, as his dead body fell to the ground. I stared in hatred at the armed guard… then everything went black… I could still hear my heart pounding, slower, and slower and then, nothing…
I woke up, the surroundings were familiar. My view of my cell had changed
slightly. More blood, fewer guards, and a torch that one of them must have
dropped. The burning torch had almost ran out of light. I watched its last
glow diminish for I had nothing else to do. A huge weight of emotion fell upon
my body as I saw a twinkling on the floor, as the light disappeared. With a
great effort I stood up. My ears were ringing, and I got that light headed
sensation one gets when they have been sitting around doing nothing for too
long. I walked over towards the metallic shimmering. A single tear dripped
down my check, salt stung my open facial wound; it was Vince's earring. I placed
the simple silver ring on my finger. I said one last prayer I learned from my
father before he died, and I kissed the ring. It's in Latin, but it basically
means, farewell, until we meet again.
I don't know how long I spent in my cell trying to make sense of what had
happened. However, after some time the door opened. Four guards this time,
with grim looks on their faces. One pointed his weapon at me and gestured
towards the door. I walked out the door and entered the hallway of blinding
light. We walked out of the main prison and entered what looked like a
courtyard. The courtyard was made of stone, expertly built. There were huge
arches that held up the upper levels that reached almost ten stories. How the
engineers found a way to keep the supports from buckling under the gigantic
weight of the building was mind boggling. The courtyard was richly decorated
with paintings and geometrical designs. One painting in particular caught my
attention. There were many men bowing down to one who was drawn larger than the
rest. He wore purple robes with red lining. The focal point of the painting
was a large cross burning in the distance, along with the rest of the
background. We walked past several children playing with a bright red ball.
When they saw me they all ran away, yelling something in a foreign tongue. We
entered the large ten-story building. Its massive doors creaked open with the
sound of rust and age. Inside the building was even more impressive than the
outside. Everything was purple and red, with signs in some strange language
that looked more like blocks than letters. I didn't get to see much more of the
place; the guards put a sack over my head, they said it was so I didn't offend
the residents with my disgusting face. We walked up what seemed like thousands
of stairs, the sounds of cheerful greetings in a different language, echoed in
my ears. If I didn't know any better I would have said that these people
weren't the murdering, low-life, inhumane, disgusting, pig headed, slave
driving, hot tempered assholes that killed Vince, and took me away from my home.
I think I was starting to like them. No, not like… love. Yes I loved them,
like a puppy loves hanging upside-down over a large boiling cauldron of wax,
with a blade swinging like a pendulum coming closer and closer to the rope that
suspended it over its painful death.
"Mr. Ke'su will see you now," one of the guards said as he ripped my mask from
my head. I walked through the doorway and entered a pitch-black room. I waited
for several awkward minutes. My eyes were starting to adjust to shadows of the
room. I could begin to make out a shape in the darkness. It was about my
height and moved with a cat like grace. Silently it walked around me.
"Are you…" there was a pause. I heard a shuffling of paper. "Ah here it is,
Rain. Is your name Rain?" The voice asked with a masculine tone.
"Are you Mr. Ke'su?"
"Obviously. Hmm, now I am starting to doubt your credentials. I had you
brought here because I need another doctor to help out. I would have thought
that someone so educated would be able to figure out who I was… no matter" He
walked crisply over to what looked like a large chair, and sat down. "I will
allow you special privileges for doing this service. You will no longer be
confined to your cell after work. You may stay in the limits of the building.
If you are particularly helpful I may even give you in-door plumbing. Do you
accept to these terms?" This was the best news I had heard in a long time.
Finally a chance to get out of that stupid cell. I could remember late nights,
Vince and me would talk about how to escape if we every got off the prison
compounds. But Vince is gone now. He found a way to escape on his own.
"Yes"
"Good. Okay, that will be all. You begin immediately. Your first scheduled
patient will arrive tomorrow morning," with that two guards dressed very oddly
(though I couldn't quite make it out), grabbed me by both arms and lifted me
outside. Once at the door, they threw me onto the lavish carpeted floor.
"You are the one that almost killed the Captain aren't you," one of the guards
that had brought me from the prison cell demanded me to answer. After a few
moments of silence, he encouraged me by threatening me with his club.
"Yes, if you are referring to th…." The last thing I saw was the head of the
smooth club smashing my forehead.
I was being dragged from a rope when I awoke. My head stung like it had been
hit by a sledgehammer for hours. After a long journey on the end of a rope, I
was very unpleasantly thrown into a room.
"Hope you had a nice trip," exclaimed the same guard that had been so tender on
my face. Or rather, tenderized my face.
"Oh, my! Are you okay?" a young woman, around my age, maybe 30 or so, hovered
over me. She was beautiful! I was so amazed to see a female that I could not
speak. "Here let me help you," her loving hands reached down to me, and helped
me up.
"I…er….did yo… how…" I stopped and concentrated, "are you a doctor?"
"No, I am not a doctor, just someone who knows a few things about how to heal
people," she was wearing a normal white robe, with a hood. Around her neck was
a necklace; it shined with a transparent, pearly, hue that masked her essence
with obscurity and illusion. It was encased with gold trim and looked stunning
on her. "So who are you?"
"Me? The doctor." An awkward silence filled the room. She just smiled and
walked out the door.. I stood there for a long time. Wondering why, oh why,
why, why… why didn't I ask what her name was?! I looked around the room. It
was well lit, large and quite comfy. There was a bed (for me I guessed) a sink
and even one of those electric lights that I read about when I was a kid.
I went outside and looked around. There was a nice view of the distant
courtyard and the near by barracks. The sun was setting; the sky was lit in
millions of shades of yellow, orange, pink and red. It reminded me just how
long it had been since I had been outside.
"Rain, You should get some sleep, we have an early surgery tomorrow. There is
something horribly wrong with the Captain's abdomen." Her greeting caught me of
guard, how did she know my name? Maybe she knew I was coming or something.
"Okay, what's your name by the way?" I tried to sound as suave as possible.
She just smiled.
"Rachel. Good night," and with that she went into the room next door. God she
was beautiful. Maybe I could visit her later tonight… *Click*, her door locked,
hmm maybe not. I tried to forget about it and went into my room. I took off my
dirty rags and laid down on the cloud that I thought I was suppose to sleep on.
I had the best sleep of my life.
The morning came quickly but I felt very refreshed. After preparing for the
surgery I was lead downstairs where the Captain was waiting. I entered the dim
room and found the Captain groaning in misery. I chuckeld to myself for I could
see the wound I created crawling with infection and disease. I pressed on his
stomach.
"Aaarhhhh!" the Captain screamed bloody murder. I did it again only harder.
His hollering could be heard throughout the halls.
"Definitely a serious wound," I watched intently as the Captain's two gruesome
eyes bulged out. "I think immediate surgery is necessary!" The whole room
gasped at my words. I had only realized now that I had an audience. "You should
all leave, this is something you shouldn't see." The populace scattered outside
and closed the door behind him. My attention turned back towards the Captain.
I swear he was about to cry. "Now would you like to do this with or without
anesthetics?" I asked as cruelly as possible.
"I just want you to know you are a coward…" I could tell he knew exactly what I
was going to do. He knew I was going to finish what I had started the day he
killed Vince. The world doesn't deserve to have such scum walk the earth.
"…just like your smart mouthed friend. And see where that got him!" His
comment filled me with such fire that I couldn't help myself. I grabbed a
hypodermic needle from my bag, and filled the shot with a mixture that would
prove quite lethal, and painful. My vision left me and all I could see was
flame. Red fires everywhere. A burning inferno had engulfed my entire view of
the world. I could vaguely see the Captain's trembling figure. I began to
laugh, when I saw my target. The needle pierced the moist, red, orb. His tied
down body squirmed with intense pain as I slowly injected the poisonous cure.
"So as you can see, Mr. Ke'su, I had rid your ranks of a disease. You should
thank me," I sat down in my chair that was positioned in the center of the
courtroom.
"I will let the elders decide where your destiny lies" Mr. Ke'su, was
dreadfully disappointed in doing so. He didn't seem like he wanted to kill me.
It really is a shame that I was caught. Everything was perfect, right down to
explaining the wound on the body. Claiming that the Captain's stupidity caused
the "accident". He just sat up in the middle of the surgery, breaking right
threw the leather straps. My needle was just above his head. Poor guy didn't
even see it coming. My plan would have worked too, if only it wasn't for that
damned spy. The only set of eyes other than mine in the room and it had to
belong to the most beautiful Internal Affairs Agent.
"We are at an impasse. We have no decision," the leader of the elder spoke
with a disgusted tone. He obviously voted for my execution. I had done what I
needed to do, and my future didn't look so bright in this place. I needed to
escape.
"In that case, I Ke'su, decree that this court is adjourned and that the
prisoner is to be sent back to the mines of…" with a crash I stood up, knocking
over my chair. I turned to face the whole court. You can not keep me here!" I
moved with such speed towards the guard that stood next to me, that he didn't
even have time to blink. I grabbed his weapon and knocked him down. Surprised
faces stared at me as I kissed the ring on my finger.
"Till we meet again" The explosion of the pistol rang in my ears as the lead
chariot speed my journey.
You can contact Ryan at ash_blaze@hotmail.com
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