Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2) (19 page)

“Ha! We already found two Posts,” Simon said. “This is easier than I thought. Just one more and that sucker’s as good as dead.”

Vince turned to his left. “If they connect like we think they do, Post Four is this way.” He bent down and pointed to the line. “But don’t pass this barrier. We don’t want to activate the alarm just yet. We can follow it until we reach the next beacon.”

Simon looked at his men. “What are you all standing around for? You heard the man. Let’s go!”

They followed the road, staying left of the shadow, and counting their paces. As they walked, Vince could tell that Simon was eager.

Saul pointed straight ahead. “There it is. It’s amazing how easy they are to spot once you know what to look for.”

Simon trotted ahead to examine the device. “Yes, this is what we’re looking for.”

Vince bent down to take a look. It was identical to the last, but it had,
4/3
, imprinted instead. “Looks like we found what we need.”

“If they’re this easy to find,” Saul said, “let’s find Posts One and Five as well.”

“You’re right.”

They both looked to Simon, who nodded. “I agree.” He turned to his other men. “Find those other two beacons. I want a squad set up at each one. And don’t cross that goddamn line until I give the order.”

THIRTY-EIGHT

TULLY SANDERS STARED out at the buildings, listening to the empty silence. After the covert mission with Vince and Saul, it was nice to be back on the wall. He stood at Post Five, a few yards from the giant gap. A group of volunteers walked by, laughing and messing around.

“What are you doing?” Tully said. “Get back to your stations. This is serious business.”

One of them looked over. “Sorry guy. We’re just having some fun. We get bored standing out here all day.”

“This is no time for fun. Do you understand what’s at stake? Two of our walls have been breached. Simon will attack again, and if he gets through that third wall, the Spire will fall.”

“Relax. There’s no way he’s getting through that wall.”

“That’s exactly the kind of thinking that got us in trouble last time. If you care about the Spire, if you care about Mr. Greene, then you will return to your stations. Otherwise, get the hell off this wall.”

They slowly walked back. “Okay, calm down. We’ll go back.” They wandered off.

Tully leaned in towards his microphone. “Sir, these volunteers, they’re not fit to defend this wall.”

“I know,” Greene said through his earpiece, “but we need as many people as possible. If there’s one thing Simon has that we don’t, it’s numbers. All of those men down there have gone through basic cannon training. That should be enough, as long as they follow your lead.”

The first horn sounded.

“Will they follow my lead? Those punks seemed pretty resentful when I tried to give them orders.”

“You’re a good soldier, Tully. And a good leader.”

“I’ve never led untrained men before.”

“Today’s the day to learn. Whether you like it or not, we need those volunteers. Even with the return of you and your squad, we’re still low on troops.”

“Where are the rest of them?”

“I’ve got a squad in Snow Peak right now. Just make sure they fire those cannons and you should be fine.”

“I’ll do my best sir.”

The horn sounded. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

“They’re coming your way,” Greene said. “Get ready.”

Tully turned around. “You heard the horns! Get to your stations! Now!”

They all scrambled around, obeying his direct order. Each group of three was in charge of a cannon. They began lifting the heavy cannonballs and loading them into the barrels.

“Why aren’t your cannons loaded yet?” Tully yelled. “You were all sitting around when you should have been getting ready! Move it! We don’t have all day!” They pushed into high gear, rolling cannonballs and tossing bricks of black powder. They ran about like confused ants trying to find their queen. “This is madness,” Tully muttered to himself.

The horn sounded. One. Two.

“They’re coming at Post Two,” one of the men said.

“We don’t have anyone stationed there,” said another. “Just One and Five. We need someone over there.” He waved to the others. “Come on, let’s go!”

“No!” Tully yelled. “Keep your positions. Post One is closer. They can handle it.” Most of the men returned, with a few stragglers sprinting off towards Post Two. “Damn it, we lost a few.”

“It’s okay,” Greene said. “Just stay calm and focus.”

Tully turned to the remaining volunteers. “The rest of you better listen to my orders, goddamn it!”

The horn sounded. One. Two. Three. Four.

They looked to Tully for orders. “This one is ours,” he said and pointed to a cluster of men. “You, get over to Post Four and ready the cannons.” The group ran off. Tully glanced at the ones who remained. They were running thin. “I don’t have many men left, sir.”

“Post One is running low as well. They’re spreading us out.”

“Let’s just hope no more horns go off.”

“If they do, make sure to—”

The horn sounded. One.

“Christ, they’re coming from everywhere,” Tully said.

“No, they’re not. They found our sensors. They’re messing with us. From now on, ignore the horns. Keep your men where they are.”

The artificial cheers blared out from the speakers.

“Yes, sir.” He raised his head. “Orders straight from Mr. Greene. Ignore the horns. Keep your positions.” The men nodded and held their stance. “Mr. Greene, I don’t think we have enough men. If they attack this post, we’re screwed.”

Greene did not respond.

“Someone’s coming!” one of them yelled.

Tully whipped his head around. “Crap!”

Over his earpiece, he heard the two most frightening words to come from Greene’s mouth. “Oh no…”

A horde of people came pouring out of the streets, towards the Spire. They screamed at the top of their lungs, holding bombs above their heads as they ran. The bare fields surrounding the Spire were quickly swarmed by Simon’s men. They chanted in unison. “Crowns! Crowns! Crowns!” The rumble of stomping feet shook the ground. The noise got louder as the enemy approached.

Tully pointed to the crowd and yelled, “Fire!” The men stared at him with looks of confusion. The stomps and screams were too loud. They could not hear him. “Damn it, I said Fire!” He stepped over to the nearest cannon, pushed the man aside, and lit the wick. The blast sent the cannonball hurtling into the crowd, tearing through their bodies and spraying mists of blood. He pointed to the cannon. “Fire!”

The men finally nodded and jumped into action. A barrage of metal shot out from the wall. Cannonballs fell from the sky, crushing skulls and ripping limbs. Groups of explosions scattered among the mob sent bodies flying up in the air.

Tully watched as the men fumbled to reload the cannons. He pushed another aside, loaded the cannon himself, and fired.

“Sir,” he said. “This isn’t good enough. We can’t hold them off. There’s too many. You need to send more people to Post Five.”

“I’ll do what I can. I have some people already headed back your way. Not many, just a few. Post One is getting hit hard. I need troops there as well.”

The mob of Crowns was approach fast. “We don’t have time. They’re going to get through.”

“Don’t let them. They mustn’t get to that third wall.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Damn!” Greene yelled. “Post One. They’ve broken through the second wall.”

“Already?”

“I’m moving the men back to One. They need reinforcement more than you do.”

“No!” Tully begged. “I need them here. They’re going to breach the wall.”

“Post One is in critical condition. They need help!”

Tully stared out at the horde closing in. Explosions rose up here and there, but the mob of bloodthirsty people ran straight through. “Fire! Fire! Fire!” he yelled with intense rage. The Crowns reached the first wall and poured through the gap. He pointed down. “Aim at the bottleneck!”

They turned their cannons and fired a string of cannonballs. Spurts of blood flew up with every shot. The air was filled with specks of red mist. The metallic taste was strong on his tongue.

“We’ve got them at a choke point,” Tully said to Greene, “but they’re still getting through.”

“Keep it up. You’re doing better than Post One. They’re hitting the third wall hard.”

“Keep it up? At this rate, they’ll be charging up the Spire in no time. There must be something we can do. We can’t just let them in.”

“I’m afraid we have no choice. Our resources are limited. We’ll just have to fight them off inside and hope for the best.”

“Hope for the best? That’s your plan? You’re supposed to have a plan for everything. What happened?”

“Vince and Saul happened. It was a mistake working with them. I should have let them die on day one when Simon had them.”

“So you’re giving up?

“I’m not giving up!” Greene yelled. “I’m going down with pride. I’ll fight till my last breath, but I’m afraid the Spire is done. It will fall. There’s no way to avoid it. I suggest you pray. Pray that Simon will spare your life. He most certainly won’t spare mine.”

“I won’t give him the choice, sir, because I’m going to kill him myself. You may have given up, but I haven’t.”

“I’m not giving up! I built the Spire from the ground up! I watched it grow from nothing to the marvel it is today! You think I want to see it fall? I will fight till my dying breath!”

Explosions hit the third wall. The ground rattled beneath Tully’s feet. Smoke rose up and mixed with the smell of blood. “They’ve reached the third wall,” someone called out, swinging his cannon around and pointing it towards the explosions.

“No!” Tully shouted as the cannonball left the barrel. It arched through the air and slammed into the wall, cracking the base. “You clod! You’ve damaged the thing we’re trying to defend.”

Another violent explosion went off. The crack grew larger, climbing up the wall. Two more blasts. It raced to the top and split apart. The stone blocks crumbled and slammed to the ground. Chunks of wall plummeted towards the Crowns below. They cheered with triumph as the boulders crushed their skulls.

Tully could not believe his eyes. Never in the history of the Spire had the third wall fallen. The Crowns climbed over bodies and debris and sprinted towards the doors of the Spire. The men on the wall abandoned their stations and ran in the direction of Post Four, looking for a safe way off the wall.

“Stand and defend!” Tully screamed. “Goddamn cowards! Stand and defend!”

They ignored him and faded into the dust. Tully was alone on the wall.
I have to get into the Spire
, he thought.
I have to protect Mr. Greene
. He ran down the nearest set of stairs and blended in with the mob that charged towards the Spire.

The crowd chanted as they ran. “Live Free Forever! Live Free Forever!” Tully kept his mouth shut and his head down, hoping no one would notice his military uniform. They reached the front doors and poured into the building. The front desk was abandoned, and the lobby was trashed with debris and garbage.

Some of the Crowns charged up the stairwell, while others waited for the elevators. Tully knew Greene was on the top floor. The elevator was the way to go. He pushed through the crowd to the elevator doors. The people around him stared up at the display. It showed the location of the lift. It rapidly counted down. 50. 40. 30. 20. 10. 1. The display beeped, and the doors slowly slid open. The crowd pushed forward, slamming Tully against the back wall of the small compartment. An unbelievable pressure pushed against his body as more people squeezed in. The doors closed and the lift shot upward.

Tully was hot and uncomfortable. The stench of sweat and blood filled the air. Pressed against the wall, he could barely breathe. Arms, legs, and elbows jutted into his side. His head was twisted back and to the right. His arm was folded behind his back. There were only sounds of coughing and panting as the people caught their breath. They looked up at the display, this time counting up. 100. 110. 120. 130. 140. 150. Another beep played before the doors opened and they all fell out.

The sudden relief of pressure on Tully’s back was overshadowed by the complete terror of what he saw when he entered the hallway. Blood smeared the wall. Trails of red ran along the tile. Bodies lay scattered along the floor. Bodies of people he knew. Coworkers. Friends. The mob of Crowns ran down the corridor and turned the corner. The overhead lights flickered as he wandered down the path. From down the hall, he heard the screams of innocent people being torn apart by the angry mob.

Another beep came from behind. The second elevator. Tully stepped aside into the shadows of an empty room. He poked his head out to watch another mob stumble out of the elevator doors. He pulled his head back and waited for them to pass. They charged through, chanting the same Crown motto in unison. When they turned the corner, Tully stepped out and followed their path.

He turned the corner to another abandoned hallway with more blood and more bodies. A large steel security door was blasted in. Streaks of gunpowder lined the edges of the dented metal. Behind the security door was a set of swinging double doors. Loud cheers roared from the other side. He walked forward at a nervous pace. He did not know what he would do once he reached the doors, but he knew Greene was in danger. It was his duty to protect him.

THIRTY-NINE

VINCE AND SAUL stood by Simon as they watched the third wall fall at Post Five. Simon pointed. “They’re fleeing. Now is our time.”

“Do you think they’ve broken through at Post One?” Jonah asked.

“That doesn’t matter right now. There’s a clear path to the Spire and there’s no one here to defend it.” He jogged forward and turned around. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go. We’re going to kill that sucker once and for all.”

Vince stepped forward. “Greene is important, but we find our friends first.”

“Forget about your friends. Greene’s probably killed them by now. Don’t waste your time. We’re making history. This is the fall of Greene. The man who’s been in power for hundreds of years. This is going to be talked about for generations. We’ll be known as the ones who restored justice to the City. Don’t you want to be a part of that?”