Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2) (22 page)

They reached the end and turned the corner, where they saw the remnants of a large security door, similar to the one for the cell room. It was completely blasted in. Black streaks of powder lined the edges. Behind the security door was a set of double doors. From the ceiling hung a sign.
Victor Greene
. Vince pointed, and they all nodded.

The choice was clear. They could turn back now. Return to the elevator and get the hell out. But they had come too far to run now. They owed it to themselves, to the City, and to Patrick. So they did not turn back. Instead, they moved forward, towards a room full of people who wanted them dead.

Vince pressed his hand against the door. He signaled for Rupert and Charlotte to stay back. They nodded and positioned themselves on either side of the door. Vince waved at the others and pushed through the door.

They entered a room full of Crowns. On one side was the dead body of a familiar face. Tully Sander. There was a hole right through his temple. On the other side, Simon stood over another body. Greene. The top half of his skull was completely blown off. The Crowns raised their guns and pointed them at Vince as he entered.

Simon threw his arms in the air. “Vince! Saul! You made it!” He gestured to his men. “Lower your weapons. They’re not our enemies.” They obeyed and stepped back, one of them accidentally bumping a button on the wall. A voice called out.

Evacuation Pod A. Please verify your identity
.

Simon ignored it. “I see you found your friends.” His eyes lowered to the weapons in their hands. “And you’ve picked up a few other things as well.”

“Just to be safe,” Vince said. “Greene’s men are all over the place.”

“Not up here, as you can see.” He gestured to the abundance of Crowns. “You missed all of the fun. I know your friends are important, but man, when I sent that bullet through Greene’s head, that is something you can only truly experience in person.”

“So what now?” Saul asked.

“What now?” he repeated. “Now we clean out the Spire. Wipe out the straggling workers and free the prisoners. That’s why we’re here in the first place, right?”

“I mean between us. Where do we go from here?”

“Oh,” Simon said. “I haven’t put much thought into that.”

Vince looked around at all of the Crowns watching them. “Can we discuss it with fewer people around?”

Simon furrowed his brow and stared at Vince. “You mean speak in private?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind.”

His eyes dropped back down to the gun his hand. “Why?”

Vince shrugged. “I just think it’s a private matter.”

Simon squinted. “Two of them stay. The rest leave.”

“Fair enough.”

Simon waved at his men to leave, and they emptied out in an orderly fashion. Rupert and Charlotte stepped behind the doors as they swung open, and remained hidden as Crowns marched out.

Once they were alone, Simon turned to Vince. “What are you morons up to? You came up here, head to toe with firepower. Why? You saw how many men there were in the elevator. There was no doubt we would overpower Greene. So that means you came armed to the teeth, for me.”

Vince stepped forward. “I can—”

Simon raised his gun, and his men did the same. “Don’t come any closer!” Vince and the others raised their hands over their heads. “You think I’m stupid? You tried to poison me back at headquarters. You’re probably trying to poison me right now, or something like that.”

Vince patted his pocket and felt the extra capsule inside.

“And these guns are just your backup plan. Well, I hate to break it to you, but both plans failed. Drop all of your weapons.” He waved his gun at them. “Slowly. Lay them on the ground. All of them.”

They listened to his orders and carefully placed their weapons on the ground.

“Good,” Simon said, lowering his gun. He gathered the pile and tossed them across the room. “This is quite unfortunate for all of you. I was going to let you free. I kill Greene, you rescue your friends, and we go our separate ways. That was the deal. But this dumb little stunt changes everything. If I let you go now, you’ll just come back later.”

Saul stepped forward. “We’re not here to kill you.”

“Please. From the minute I met you I knew you didn’t like me. Especially this one.” He pointed to Ella.

“That may be true,” Saul said, “but people change. We realized that Greene was the one who needed to die, not you. Your vision for the City is what everyone needs. The freedom to choose. Live free forever.”

Simon’s suspicious glare lingered a bit longer, and popped back to a jovial laugh. “I’m glad,” he said as he slowly paced around the room. “I was worried we’d butt heads once Greene was out of the picture, but I can see that’s not the case. Am I right Ella?”

Ella nodded. “Yes, sir. All we want to do is go home, and let the City live the life you’ve offered them.”

“Exactly,” he said, still strolling about. “That’s all I want. Choice. Freedom. For everyone. If anyone gets in the way of achieving that, we have a problem.”

“Of course,” Saul said. “And we have no intention of getting in your way. Like she said. We just want to go home.”

Simon now walked along the edge of the room, sliding the tip of his gun against the wall. “Yes, home. That’s the place to be. Of course, Rodin is very far.”

“I suppose Rodin isn’t home for us anymore,” Saul said.

“Then where is home?”

“I don’t know. We’ve been traveling for so long. Moving from town to town. I guess we’ve spent the longest time here, in the City, but I wouldn’t call it home.”

Simon shook his head. “No, this isn’t your home. You’re outsiders. You don’t have a home. At least, not anymore. It really is a shame.” He wandered up behind Saul. “You say you want to go home, but you have nowhere to go.” He pointed his gun at Saul’s head and pulled the trigger.

Saul’s skull exploded in a mist of blood.

The gunshot rang in Vince’s ears as he watched the body fall to the ground. His froze, unable to move a single muscle. His friend for over two hundred years was dead. Gone in an instant.

“I can see right through your lies,” Simon said, wiping the blood off his face. As he moved the gun towards Vince, Charlotte and Rupert came bursting through the door.

Charlotte shot at Simon from across the room. Simon turned and ducked for cover. His two men raised their guns. Charlotte moved her aim and pierced one of them through the chest. The other managed a single shot before Ella charged in and knocked him to the ground. The bullet whizzed by Charlotte’s head. Ella grabbed the gun from his hands and jammed the end into his face.

Alan ran up and kicked Simon in the stomach, forcing him to his knees. Swarms of men charged in through the entrance, all fully armed. “Come on!” Alan yelled. “We need to get out of here!”

Charlotte and Rupert ran to the end of the room and pressed the button on the wall.
Evacuation Pod A. Please verify your identity
. Charlotte held her eyes against the scanner and waited for the door to open. A panel in the wall slid up, revealing a small compartment with a seat and flashing buttons. They got inside. “Let’s go!” she yelled.

Alan grabbed Vince’s arm, who was still trapped in a state of shock. His face was blank, his eyes lifeless. Alan pulled, but he would not budge. Ella ran over and grabbed his other arm, throwing it over her shoulder. “We’ll carry him,” she said. Alan nodded and did the same. They dragged him to the pod and placed him in the seat.

The horde of Crowns flooded the room. Jonah bent down to check on Simon, who shook him off. “I’m fine you idiot. Get
them
!”

They looked up to the pod and raised their guns. Charlotte slammed her fist against a button. A glass door slid down just as they opened fire. The bullets hit the glass and bounced off. “Don’t worry,” Charlotte said. “It’s bulletproof.” She pressed another button.

Evacuation Pod A will eject in thirty seconds
.

“Thirty seconds?” Alan said. “Why does it take so long? Let’s go now!”

“It has to detach from the building,” She said. “Don’t worry. We’re completely safe in here. Guns can’t hurt us while we’re behind this glass.”

Simon stood up and held up his hand. “Hold your fire.”

Evacuation Pod A will eject in twenty seconds
.

Simon walked over to Jonah and spoke into his ear.

“What is he doing?” Ella asked.

Jonah smiled, reached into his back pocket, pulled out a bomb, and handed it to Simon.

“Crap,” Alan said. “I don’t suppose this glass is bombproof as well.”

Charlotte stared at Simon. “I don’t know.”

He lit the fuse, wandered over to the pod, and propped it up against the glass. He backed away and crossed his arms. A smirk crept across his face.

Evacuation Pod A will eject in ten seconds
.

Rupert glared at the fuse as it burned down. “Are we going to make it?”

Charlotte gripped the side of the control panel. “I don’t know, but you better hold on to some—”

The ground shook violently, and a loud blast filled their ears. The outside of the glass was shrouded in smoke and fire. A crack formed at the base, but it remained intact. When the smoke cleared could see Simon. He saw the crack and slammed his foot down. “Goddamn it!” he yelled.

Evacuation Pod A ejecting
.

The pod shifted outward and shot away from the building. They flew away from the Spire with incredible speed, out towards the water. A parachute opened and jerked the pod upward. As they floated down, they gazed at the exterior of the Spire. At the crumbling remains of the surrounding three walls. At the army of Crowns pouring into the lobby. Greene’s reign was over.

The pod gently plopped down, and the floor quickly filled with water.

“There’s a leak,” Charlotte said. “That bomb must have blown a hole in the floor.”

“Will we be okay?” Alan asked.

She shook her head. “These things are designed to float, but this damage is critical. The water is filling fast. We need to find something else.”

“Look,” Ella said. She pointed to the gap in the outer wall. The same gap they had entered through when they first found the City.

“We’re not going back in that way,” Alan said. “The Crowns will tear us apart.”

“No,” Ella insisted. “Look. Our raft is still there.”

The wooden raft, crafted from remnants of the boat, sat right where they left it, sitting atop a pile of debris.

“Fantastic,” Rupert said, looking down at his feet. “Let’s grab it before we’re waist deep in water.”

Charlotte tinkered with the controls. “This thing should have water control. If I find it, we can drive over.”

“You better hurry up,” Alan said. “It’s filling up fast.”

“Just give me a minute. I’ve never used this model before. We haven’t had a drill since we last upgraded.”

“Here’s a suggestion for the next upgrade,” Alan said, “Make that stupid countdown shorter.”

“We made it out in one piece. That’s what matters.” She looked to Vince, who was stiff as a board. He stared straight ahead, not a single word spoken. “But not all of us made it out,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve watched Saul for a good portion of his life. He was a good man.”

“He sure was,” Alan said. “I think that’s something we can all agree on.”

The pod engine hummed and pushed them forward.

“Got it!” Charlotte said.

They moved closer to the wall. Closer to the smoke and explosions. Closer to the screams and hollers. Closer to the chaos they just escaped.

When they reached the wall, the water was up to their knees. They stepped out of the pod one by one. Vince remained in his seat. Ella walked over and patted his back. “Come on Vince. Time to get up.” He blinked a few times and got up on his own. He stepped onto solid ground with the others, but remained silent.

Last in the pod was Charlotte. She hoisted herself up, ready to join the others on land, when she heard a shuffle in the corner, under the control panel. She peeked under. “Oh my god.”

“What is it?” Ella asked, leaning over to see.

Charlotte moved to the side and a young girl stepped out of hiding. She was short and skinny, with gold hair and blue eyes. Freckles covered her puffy face. Charlotte took her shoulder and leaned in closely. “How old are you, honey?”

Her body shivered, dripping from head to toe. “I don’t know.”

“She looks about seven years old,” Rupert said. “Maybe a little older.”

“What’s your name?” Charlotte asked

“Izzy,” she answered. Her voice was soft and delicate. “Izzy Greene.”

They all stopped and looked up.

“Greene?” Charlotte asked. “Are you related to Victor Greene?”

She nodded. “He’s my dad. He told me to wait in the pod. He said he would be right back. But he never came.”

Charlotte looked at her face, heartbroken. “Okay. Let’s get you out of this water.” She lifted her up and handed her to Ella. Once Charlotte was out, she joined the group and shrugged. “I didn’t know he had a daughter. No one knew.”

Ella bent down to meet Izzy’s eyes. “Where have you been living?”

“With dad, in the Spire. He said it was dangerous to leave.”

“You’ve lived up there for ten years?”

A rumbling explosion went off close by. The ground shook and dust puffed up in the air. Alan tapped Ella’s shoulder. “We can ask questions later. Right now we need to get the hell out of here.”

The evacuation pod sunk below the waves, as they pushed their old raft back into the water. They boarded the raft and pushed away from the wall. Alan waved his hand at the City. “See you never.”

Charlotte glanced at him, “We’re going back, you know. We have to. Once things settle down.”

Alan turned to the others. “No, we’re not going back. Right? That place is a mess.”

“That mess is my home. I’ve never left those walls before. The City is all I know. And now it’s in the hands of a madman.”

“He doesn’t want the power,” Rupert said. “He’s not going to rule.”

“That’s what he says,” Charlotte said, “but will he follow through? I doubt it. And if he does, that might be worse. The City can’t survive without a leader.”