Lee Kerr - Welcome to the Apocalypse

The door swings open and he stands there, not really even looking shocked. He smiles and nods, as if he knew this was happening all along.

The status bar moves slowly; it’s like a clock ticking towards better times. I cannot take my eyes off it. It will lead to a new world, I am sure of it. We were caught and now I am committed to a different cause, one which I cannot back out of without consequences. I mentally run through my next steps, from pulling out the memory stick and removing any trace I have been in this room, to my journey through the hopefully abandoned corridors of this once lively hotel. I mentally choose the best route, the one that is likely to attract the least suspicion. Destiny will have packed up her clothes by now and whatever she has not already taken from her opulent wardrobe will have to be left behind.

The green bar is by now around the 90% mark, the memory stick still flashing as it absorbs all this priceless information into its belly. I take a deep breath, feeling hopeful that I have completed the first stage of our escape.

Just as I allow myself this small victory I hear someone on the other side of the door. A code is being inputted into the keypad. I look back to the screen, desperate for a solution. Despite all of my hastily put together plans I hadn’t given enough thought to getting caught again. The answers need to be on the tip of my tongue – logical excuses that would give me a reason for being in this secured room.

I take a deep breath and pull out the memory stick, clearing the screen as the door swings open. I figure that having 90% of the sky city schematics is better than having none, especially if I get caught by the wrong person.

‘What are you doing in here?’ Tyrell asks, standing in the doorway, his ample girth blocking any plans I have for a quick exit.

‘I’m just updating the master server with some files for Lawrence,’ I say, turning my attention back to the screen, acting as if this is a regular occurrence.

He doesn’t say anything at first, but I feel his eyes probing me. He moves forward, into my space, sniffing like a caveman around a place he doesn’t belong. I hope these are things he doesn’t fully understand.

I turn towards him, figuring that assertiveness is more likely to win the battle than silence. ‘Do you have a problem with my work as Lawrence’s executive personal assistant?’ I ask, staring into his eyes. As I watch and wait, I study the thick red blood vessels that surround his dark pupils – they tell me of age, recent desperation and of much sacrifice.

He grins back. ‘I do not care about your position with Lawrence. You forget that this is my island and around here it is my rules that matter.’ He stares up to the corner of the room, forcing me to look with him. ‘The camera begs to differ on what you have apparently been doing in here.’

The door opens again and this time it’s one of Tyrell’s men. He gives his boss a nod, but remains standing in the doorway, doubling the odds against a simple escape.

‘Hand it over,’ Tyrell says, has thick arm outstretched, clicking his fingers, full of new-found power and obvious enjoyment.

I shake my head, not knowing what to say or do. I think of Destiny waiting in her room with both of our half-packed suitcases. The TV will still be playing loud music and she will be painting her nails, innocently waiting for me to fulfil my end of the plan. She will have no concept of my failure, no understanding of getting caught. To her this is a simple stroll out of the building. I told her to write her dad a letter but, since I have been away for a longer than I planned, she is more likely to be dancing around the room or straightening her hair; anything but taking this seriously. My failure will be obvious when her father enters the room without her hearing him, her clothes not packed, our grand plan still strewn across the bed.

‘Do not test my patience any longer, little boy,’ Tyrell says, taking a step closer to me.

I shake my head again, trying to preserve the impression of innocence for as long as possible. ‘This memory stick,’ I say, holding it up like a prized trophy. ‘The one I have been using to upload new files. Your conspiracy theories are getting ridiculous. My network connection isn’t working again, because of your people.’ I raise my arms, flapping them around like I’m an angry guest in his chaotic world. ‘And I have had to come down here myself to do such a basic thing!’

His eyes narrow but he says nothing. I know he is giving my excuse genuine thought. You have to give Tyrell credit: he’s been a police chief in such a straightforward world all his life and now he’s trying to turn detective in a new place of constant lies and hidden meanings.

I move forward boldly, towards my freedom. ‘I’m done here, so unless you intend to confiscate a memory stick that I use every day, on an island that I cannot leave, then I suggest you let me do my job.’

Tyrell says nothing as I start to believe I have succeeded and that I will soon have Destiny in my arms, our new life starting without delay. But as I reach the door I find Tyrell’s man blocking my way, his gun pushed in my face. I stagger backwards, my heart racing, as I realise I will have a steep price to pay if I’m caught trying to rob Lawrence of his most prized possessions. I stare down that barrel; the black steel offers me a void in which to send my thoughts, as I wonder which of the things I plan to take will result in a longer sentence – the data or his Destiny.

I suddenly feel Tyrell’s hands on my shoulders; he pulls me around and throws me across the room. I land on a desk, sending the equipment flying onto the floor. I hear the crash of things that cannot easily be replaced in the coming months and years, and for a second I feel protective of the world we are trying to create.

Before I have regained my balance and calmed my thoughts I see Tyrell appear before me, his hands reaching around my throat. I feel his rough skin join with mine as he squeezes tight. ‘You are a liar and you plan to sell this information to the Chinese. I have watched you for a long time and I know what you have been doing.’ He releases his grip, only to throw me to the other side of the room.

I feel my back crunch as I land on yet more precious items. He quickly follows me and spits in my face. ‘You are Lawrence’s problem and when he hears what you have been doing I hope he passes you back to me for punishment.’ He bends down, wearing the widest smile I have ever seen on his face. ‘You have no idea about how the rule of law works on this island. On my island.’

He shouts something I don’t understand and then his man is suddenly on top of me, pulling me off the desk and putting my hands behind my back. As he puts my wrists in cuffs I feel Tyrell’s hand reaching into my pockets. He soon finds the memory stick.

He holds it up, smiling at his own work. ‘Your fate is sealed.’

‘Please,’ I mutter, shaking my head, my mind empty of options. ‘We can work something out. We both know that Lawrence is not going to get this deal.’

I feel his fist crash into my jaw before I see it coming. For a moment I don’t feel any pain, my brain still trying to figure out what has happened. It’s my first punch since high school and my first one from a real man. My jaw feels different. My mouth has filled with blood, which I have to spit out. I look down, expecting to see my teeth scattered beneath me but all I see is a small, red puddle on the floor. I know there will be more to come.

‘You have given up on your master so easily, little man,’ he says.

I lift my head up; my arms are still held tight by my silent captor. I stare right back into Tyrell’s dark, judging face. ‘He gave up on me and my family a long time ago and I promise you he will give up on you too. Do you really think your people will ever make it into the sky city? You will be living on this island, forever fighting for scraps of food like a dog!’