Rock and a Hard Place 12 "The Wall" One

Rock and a Hard Place 12 “The Wall”

One

            Twenty-five years have passed since the initial outbreak that caused the deaths of more than two thirds of the world’s population. The survivors were left to fend for themselves in a new world devoid of government and civilization but full of the infected. Those first few years were the hardest and it wasn’t clear if this was mankind’s imminent extinction event but by some miracle, small pockets of humanity managed to endure.

            Many small groups merged into bigger and bigger communities; eventually all left alive from Maine to Florida and just east of the Mississippi river migrated to the remains of Charleston, South Carolina and formed New Charleston, the only human city left on the Eastern US. This city was made possible by New Charleston’s location with two rivers to the east and west and the Charleston harbor to the south. Carving a path through the peninsula city is the most valuable line of defense against the infected and that is The Wall.

            The Wall took almost a decade to construct and is built from solid concrete with retaining walls, support structures, and abutments for strength. It soars at a neck breaking 10 stories tall; some may say 100 feet is overkill but it illustrates the panic and fear people had from walkers.

            “The Wall is here for our protection. If the Wall were to ever come down, New Charleston would soon follow.” The woman on the loud speaker spoke as if she were a tour guide. Inside the raised train car new arrivals to New Charleston were being escorted to Processing.

            “If you look to the top of the Wall, you’ll see the NCD or New Charleston Defense force. These men and women are charged with defending New Charleston against threats from the infected and others. Perhaps some of you will want to join the NCD in the future.” Tour Guide Betty spoke again. Jen McAdams just rolled her eyes and tried to read the tattered comic her dad gave her before entering the train. Hank McAdams sat in the window seat with a feeling of dread. For the past 10 years, Hank has avoided entering the city opting instead to make a life in the last remaining smaller settlements outside the Wall.

            His daughter, Jen, has become increasingly reckless when it comes to fighting off walkers. Hank felt they needed to be a part of a civilization again even if that is behind the great Wall. Life was different behind the Wall even the blonde woman on the loud speaker looked almost foreign to him in a dark blue skirt suit free from blood stains and dirt. Hank heard plenty of stories from other travelers who managed to escape the city.

            Here in New Charleston you trade your freedom for survival. Instead of having to forage for food you have a simple barter system, instead of fighting off walkers you have the NCD for protection, and instead of sleeping in shifts you have the Wall.

            “We’ve been on this train for a while, when are we gonna get there?” Jen asked, her face still buried in the comic.

            “Processing should be the next stop. Remember, this is not the Redgate settlement, you can’t do what you want when you want here. There are rules, regulations…okay?” Hank asked. He looked at Jen, she didn’t look up from the comic. “Jen?”

            “Yeah yeah, I got it. It’s like the prisons you told me about.” Jen spoke still reading the comic. Hank didn’t tell her how close her observation was even though she meant it as a snarky remark.

            “Jen, you never got a chance to live in a city. We’ve always moved from place to place, never settling anywhere. That’s not a life to live forever.” He lean in and took the comic gently from her hand. He wanted to look in her eyes…her mom’s eyes.

            “Our life was fine, I don’t know why you dragged us here.” Flashing green eyes filled with anger before looking away.

            “Jen, I’m not young anymore. If something happens out there and I can’t protect you….I don’t even want to think about it. The point is its safer here…behind the Wall.” Hank was amazed at how quickly he began to parrot what was being drilled into the new arrivals.

            “I’m not a child anymore. You don’t have to protect me; I can protect you…and you’re not that old…dirt is still older than you are. Come on dad, you’re only…what 28?” Jen smiled.

“55 little smart ass.” Hank laughed. Jen loved her dad, without him she wouldn’t be alive. Jen doesn’t remember her mother she died when she was five years old. She turned; her dad had to put her down. He still misses her; Jen could see the sadness and regret in his eyes.

            “Welcome to Processing…” Tour guide interrupted Jen’s thoughts. “This is where you get your housing assignments as well as meet your city liaison. He or she will be your guide for the first few weeks here. I would advise you to listen to what they have to say as they are charged with showing you how New Charleston operates. Your life outside the Wall is completely different from your life within. It’s better behind the Wall.” The tour guide was going on but Jen wasn’t listening.

            She was thinking about what her dad had to say about not being able to protect her. Life in this city is extremely different and Jen didn’t want any part of it but she’ll stay if that’s what her father wants.

            Hank and Jen left the train in the flood of newcomers to New Charleston. The platform was tightly packed and everyone was pushing and shoving to get to Processing. Lines began to form in front of seated screeners. The screeners are officials that have hand held blood tests to make sure infected people don’t enter the city.

A young man stood in front of Hank and held out his forearm to be screened. The sample was taken and a red light began to blink. The screener motioned to someone behind Hank and a squad of NCD force swept in and took the man.

“No! I’m not infected! Please, I was screened at the Wall, I’m fine. This is a mistake! Please, please…” the man pleas faded as he was taken down an alleyway. No one even flinched as the man was hauled away. Maybe he was infected, maybe he was not but Hank was not about to rock the boat on their first day. He made a mental note to stay in line and don’t make waves.

“What the hell was that?” Jen asked shifting her backpack to one shoulder.

“Don’t ask.” Hank spoke in low tones.

“But we were already screened, how’d that guy get infected between then and now…”Jen inquired. Sometimes she was too smart for her own good.

“Just…drop it Jen. Please.”  Hank held out his arm with confidence and breathed a sigh of relief when the light turned green. He watched his daughter pass and they were moving through at a brisk pace away from the screeners.

It took months for the city to be emptied of corpses and walkers leaving it livable for people. There was no money in New Charleston; the world had reverted back to a simple barter system. If someone has what you want then you need to have something they want.

            A packet of papers was shoved into Hank’s arms by a petite brunette he didn’t notice before. She has mouse brown hair and a plain gray pant suit. She was slim but well fed and was looking down at a clipboard while she spoke.

            “Hank McAdams 43 and Jennifer McAdams 17, father daughter. These are your housing assignments and your classification application.” Her voice was light even though she seems rushed.

            “Classification application? I don’t understand...” Hank began to ask.

            “Everyone in New Charleston needs to have a purpose. Tomorrow you will be tested to determine your classification. Depending on your skills you’ll given your assignment.” The brunette still didn’t look up from writing.

            “You must be our handler. And you are…” Hank attempted to be polite.

            “Marla. Marla Goode. And I’m not a handler, I’m your liaison.” She looked up then and Hank noticed a healed wound on her right cheek. Even with the mar Marla had a pleasant face.

            “You done enough staring?” She asked with an attitude.

            “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…it’s just…” Hank tried to explain.

            “Just what? Yeah I know, I’m not pretty enough to classify as a glorified cheerleader and tourist guide like the train stewards but I do okay for myself.” Marla exclaimed. Sounds like she’s been defending herself for a long time.

            “Ms. Goode, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it, honestly.” That seemed to calm her down.

            “I’m sorry too. It’s just…I don’t know. You need to have a thick skin living behind the Wall. Most newcomers aren’t used to living with so many rules and regulations while those who’ve been here a long time don’t see any other way to live. Sometimes that causes conflict.” Marla began to write on her clipboard.

            “So you haven’t been here long?” Hank asked as Marla began to walk. He assumed she was showing them to their housing unit. Jen left the conversation long ago and began to trail behind them. To her right she watched as more newbies filed out of a train. Most were dirty with ripped clothes, like her and her father, but they were in sharp contrast with the people who have been living here.

            They were like Marla, clean and colorful clothes, plump faces, and purpose to their walk. They have not been scavenging for food or fighting off a horde of walkers. Maybe life here was not too bad if it means you know where your next meal is coming from. But these people were soft, outside the Wall they would probably be walker fodder.

            Jen had never seen buildings so high some even soared higher than the Wall. Growing up, her father taught her to stay clear of the cities, the places people use to live in great numbers, because those were filled with the dead. The cities were packed and that made it difficult to escape if needed. But here, the city is alive. Cars and bikes and people walking crowded the streets and sidewalks. There were no dead bodies lying in the ditch or burned out cars on the roadside.

            Jen watched as a dark blue van pulled up and parked. The back doors opened and Jen was stunned motionless.

            “Jen? Come on, Marla is showing us where we’re going to live? Have you been paying attention? Jen?” Hank looked in the direction Jen was staring and there in the middle of a busy street half a dozen walkers poured out of a parked van. There was a second of awkward silence as if no one could believe it before all hell broke loose.

            “Walkers! Jen run!” Hank grabbed his daughter by the shoulder and spurred her into action. People were screaming and running in all directions. Marla was right on Hank’s heels until she screamed. Hank turned to see a walker reaching for her. Instinct took over as Hank spun around and kicked the walker back. As the walker fell Hank reached for his gun in his waist band only to remember it was confiscated at the outer wall. A smiling woman told him he wouldn’t need that gun behind the Wall, that it will be collected and cataloged should he want to retrieve it when he left the city.

            “Fuck!” Hank yelled as he brought his booted heel down on the walkers head. Over and over he smashed until its head was just walker jelly. A group of armed men surrounded the intersection and made quick work of the remaining walkers. Several bystanders were taken into custody because they were bitten. Most likely they would be taken someplace to be killed as was the way in this world.

            “Dad?” Jen looked at him and handed him a small flyer that littered the area. A trail of paper lead from the van to the hands of the survivors. The flyer simply read “There is No Life Behind the Wall.”

            “What the hell is this?” Hank asked a recovering Marla.

            “The Dead Heads? I thought they were driven from the city.” She looked shocked.

            “Who are the Dead Heads?” Hank asked.

            “They want to destroy life behind the Wall. I never thought they would go this far.” Marla looked around at the devastation.

            “Something tells me this may have just started. I thought it was supposed to be safe here.” Hank crushed the ugly flyer in his fist thinking only of the safety of his daughter.

            “Well, that was some welcome.” Jen exclaimed. “Shit.”

To continue.