Chapter 23

Sitting alone in the once prosperous city square, as the stinging of acid rain enveloped her. Despair and grief flooded her thoughts, pushing out even the feelings of pain, as the acid rain ate into her flesh and bones. Kristina waited at the city street for her now missing sister in the only part of the city that she might be inclined to return to. This was the, “home” of her, and her family’s childhood friend, and by home I mean the street corner where he used to live.

He was the only person she had ever known that was empirically worse off than 99 percent of the people in the world, but he never begged or asked for pity or handouts. He would always tell us things will get better, and that humanity just needed time to grow and understand the destruction and cruelty they are perpetuating.

He was always happy, upbeat, and always thought the best of people, but prepared for the worst. Never preparing for himself though, saying the world would provide. He was the glue that held us together and always kept us grounded. He was the reason we all survived for so long and the reason the factory even works. He asked us to leave with him and find a new place to survive so many times, but we always thought we would find a way through.

Truthfully though, we actually thought he would find a way through for us. Even when sissy and I would fight, I could always depend on him to bring us back together. Maybe I was hoping that he could bring us back together one last time. I sat in the acid rain for hours, until the sun set, leaving my body bruised and burnt, with boils covering every inch of space not covered by clothing on my body. I wanted it all to end. I stayed in the city, waiting for sissy all day and night until the next day when the sun began to set again after the rain. I begrudgingly pulled myself up off the floor and began to trek back to our old home.

I finally made it back to the run down house a little after midnight. The moon was full and in its full glory directly above the house, proudly bearing its beauty for all the world to see. Making my way to the front door, I noticed that there was a small package in front of it. Walking over, I picked it up and took the cover off.

This is when my heart began to race, as I realized it is a fresh fish and a note saying if I was hungry that I could go to the falls for more, and it was written in Sissy’s handwriting! Dropping the fish and note, I dashed to the falls with my mind in disarray. Half an hour later, I finally made it to the spot, but no one was here. However, what was here was a large bag full of food marked with my name on it.

Screaming sissy’s name all around the area I received no replies. Defeated and depressed I wept bitterly as my tears stung my open wounds from the acid rain, mixing with them, and making tears of blood. I wept so hard and bitterly, that I did not hear the group of men walking behind me. These men were holding a fish and Sissy’s note in their hands.

The group descended on me suddenly and without warning. Though I am sure I would not have noticed them even if they moved like elephants and shouted there intent from a bullhorn. The group consisted of 8 men and two women. I was being held by a skinny man with a long scar on his cheek and short, buzzed black hair.

He was an average height, but I’m sure I could overpower him if I had just eaten. But I haven’t eaten in almost a week because of my overwhelming grief and sadness. I am also injured from the acid rain so I can only meekly accept whatever horrors they have planned for me.

Their leader looks to be an overweight Chinese man…. Mayor? Why is the mayor here? And is that the deputy? What is going on here? Seeing me looking at them the mayor and the deputy begin to laugh and finally the mayor began to speak, “Poor unfortunate, stupid girl, why couldn’t you just have been sold off like we had planned for you and you’re sister? Why must you force us to come settle this ourselves?

Not understanding what the mayor was saying I looked at him with a sense of unease and confusion and asked, “What do you mean? What are you saying? You want to sell me and Sissy off to someone? Well it’s too late now! Sissy has already left with mother and gone into the sea! So you will never get your hands on her! HaHAHAHAHA!!! Bastards HAAHAAAHAA! Laughing feverishly I finally snapped from the destruction of everything I held dear to me.

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The group of people went silent as I laughed in my insanity. Until the mayor spoke up once more. “Are you completely broken or what, little nephew, your sister died the same day your daddy did, and we have been looking for our missing inventory ever since. We would have already sold you off for someone to enjoy or killed you already, but we have a couple of questions for you and in order to find the answers we needed to capture you first.

Like this big bag of food. Where did you get it from? Who is giving it you? We know you wouldn’t have been able to make it out here by yourself and we heard you have someone helping you out here until the last few days when you came back to the town square all alone and stayed there all day and night, even in the pouring acid rain, ouch. So how about it?”

Barely understanding or even hearing their words my already broken mind was broken once more. But, Sissy was….she isn’t….. no, that can’t be right….. no… they are lying….they want to trick us! Looking up at the group of people holding her back she contemplates her upcoming actions until her thoughts are again interrupted, but this time it is by the sheriff.

He was an older white man in his late 40’s with a handlebar mustache, dad body and a balding brown head of hair. He came out from behind the group in his sheriff’s uniform, badge, and cowboy hat with his mandatory cop shades registered to all douchbag cops and signifying their level of douches.

He then immediately began to pressure Kristina with all his long years on the jobs knowledge of Bastard Foo. ”Don’t make this harder than it has to be, If your mother wasn’t so stuck in her monogamous ways and just let us do what we wanted and leave she wouldn’t have had her problems and you all could have continued to be a family, but she had to play the martyr and still ended up with her body being used by much more than just me and the boys after her little speech on her soap box.

Too bad she didn’t want to worry dear old pops or he would have probably figured out the truth. Thank goodness for her stupidity, it made killing him a lot easier. Though that bastard still killed 6 of my men. I couldn’t have that noose hanging over my head though. We always knew with enough time he would find something, but look at you, stupid as a box of rocks.

We killed him and your sister and you tried to go to my office for help. HAHAhaha! Man that’s dumb! You sure your related to the man, momma never went out for coffee one night and came home with you? Hehe..ok, ok, Enough, jokes aside, where did you get the bag of food? If you tell us straight I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll make sure you get sent to a nice older man who won’t beat you or whip you, and might even give you some food every day or two. Doesn’t that sound like it would be nice?

My mind suddenly went blank as I could take no more of the greed, lust, envy, pride, wrath, sloth, and gluttony. I just wanted all of these monsters to disappear. When in my mind I was able to hear a faint whisper. It was Sissy. Listening closely I could finally make out what she was saying, “To the ocean, bring them in the tides” Looking back at the smiling sheriff proudly recanting the story about how he had murdered and defiled my entire family I made up my mind.

Speaking to the group as a whole I began, “Fine, I will tell you the truth of the food, but you must promise to sell me to a wealthy home with a kind man. The sheriff looked at me with a look as if he were expecting the outcome. “Fine, I will do what I can, at the very least he will not be violent. Now tell me, where did you get this food from?

Kristina: “I found a secret vault full of foods.”

Sheriff: “Hahahah, See, I told you boys she had a cashe somewhere! But, its better than even I thought! Alright, show us the way!”

Kristina: “Ok, but just so you know its hidden in the shore so we will have to walk into the water. “

Sheriff: It doesn’t matter where it is, but you better be telling us the truth or you will beg for death before you die.

The group followed Kristina after leaving the items they did not wish to become wet and dirty on the beach. As the group followed Kristina into the water the voice in her mind became two and her sister and her mother were both urging her to go further into the water.

This quickly became three, and then four as her father was added to the voices followed by her best friend. As she went farther into the waters, the group following did not seem to notice they were getting deeper and deeper into the ocean, and somewhere along the line she began to hear the enchanting sound of a flute.

The last thing she felt was the sense of being at ease and happiness as the entire group walked into being swallowed by the ocean. A rush of commotion enveloped the area immediately following the groups decent, and was followed by a deep red color spreading under the sea and throughout the entire coast.

Hours later the same group of humans that entered into the sea came back to the shore and went inland. Kristina, sissy, her father and mother were all grouped together, and went towards the old house on the mountain side. However, after Kristina and her family arrived home, she hugged her family, and went into the main silo, sitting down cross legged, and mediating.

Meanwhile the silo began to shake, causing the ground beneath it too shake, causing the areas around the silos to shake which caused the areas farther than that to shake, and causing an earthquake to the immediate areas. Seeing this, Kristina continued her meditation, and cracked a slight smile.