Underland E-Book

Eugene Samolin

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

In a post-apocalyptic dystopia, a young man learns that he is a mutant. When the NWO come to take him away, he finds himself in a battle to save his family.

Leseprobe

Eugene Samolin

Underland

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG80331 Munich

One

Underkand

2018

In the middle of Underland lay the new desert, an area pockmarked with craters from the nuclear warheads that had brought civilisation to its knees fifteen years ago. Well worn roads used to snake their way through it, used by merchants and travellers who made their way from one of the old twelve kingdoms to another. But now, the area was nigh on deserted.

Xavier, wearing a gas-mask, walked around one of the craters with a metal detector. The hotel was in the distance. His twin sister, Debbie, her lizard-like skin camouflaged with the colour of the sand, did the same. They used the metals and other valuable scraps they found to trade on the black market. He looked at his sister; squinted in the noon-day sun, and saw, surrounding her body, an aura of bluish light that told him she was feeling good.  

Sweat dripped from his brow into his eye; he swore angrily. He hated it out here in the stinking hot desert, but no matter how fervently he begged their father, Bruce, to leave and go and live in one of the cities which had survived the apocalypse, he was always rebuked. “It’s not safe for us,” Bruce would say.

“Why not?” Xavier would ask.

Bruce would never answer, but more often than not, Xavier would get a mental impression, a picture in his mind, that seemed to be a reflection of Bruce’s thoughts: a beautiful woman with pale skin and red hair. He’d told Debbie about the woman he’d seen as a thought in Bruce’s mind. She said she’d seen it, too.

Two figues, a man and a woman, appeared on the horizen and slowly approached them. Their clothes were tattered and they appeared malnourished. Xavier could see their fear cloaked around them in a dark aura. They passed Debbie and Xavier on their way to the hotel. “Any vacancies?” the man croaked.

“Of course,” said Debbie.

“Depends,” said Xavier simultaneously. He gave his sister a quick look that was enough for her to understand to let him take the lead.

(...You’re too trusting...) he thought, and he knew she heard it.

The man sized them up. “My name’s Brendan. This is Irene. We’ve had a long trek from Valeton. Are there any rooms available, or what?”

“You’ll have to talk to Bruce,” said Xavier. “He might be outside. Follow me.”

He led the two stragglers towards the hotel with Debbie in tow. Try as they might, the strangers couldn’t help but stare at Debbie’s reptilian-like skin. Mutants were common enough these days—more and more were being born all the time since the holocaust—but Debbie didn’t look like the majority of the others. “Are you two related?” asked the woman.

“None of your business,” said Xavier.

“Twins,” said Debbie simultaneously.

Xavier gave her daggers: (...Be quiet!...)

She scrunched her nose at him.

Brendan and Irene looked at each other meaningfully.

They made it to the hotel and entered the lobby. Bruce sat behind the counter reading the newspaper with his shot-gun, Bessy, folded over his lap. Bruce loved Bessy. She was equipped with a flashlight and a bayonet. “We’d like to book a room,” said Brendan.

“Ctizen’s ID?” asked Bruce.

“Here’s the thing,” said Brendan. “My wife and I are on our way to Huntersville to visit a sick relative. We left in such a rush, we forgot our ID’s.”

“They’re lying,” said Xavier.

“Even if they aren’t,” said Bruce, “I can’t let you stay without your ID’s. If the NWO caught me harbouring non-citizens, they’d have my arse.”

Irene pulled out a purse filled with credits. “All we’re asking for is a couple of nights,” she said. “Just enough time to freshen up for the next leg of our journey. You won’t even notice we’re here.” Bruce looked at the purse full of silver credits, glinting in the afternoon sun. “Please. We’ve got nowhere else to go.”

Bruce grunted. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he said. “I’ll put you up in the attic. It’s not the most comfortable of places—it’s cramped and there’s no windows—but there’s a mattress, and you can use the showers after the sun goes down.” He took the purse from Irene.

“Thanks, Mister,” said Brendan.

“Bruce.”

“You’re a good man, Bruce. We’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

Two

Xavier led Brendan and Irene up the stairs and through a hallway. He grabbed a ladder from the hallway, and led them into the honeymoon suite, unfolded the ladder and put it beneath the covering in the roof which concealed the attic. As he pushed open the manhole, the television, which had been playing an old movie in the background, cut mid-scene to a live broadcast.

“The NWO,” said the blaring voice. “It’s us who saved the world from total nuclear annihilation at the hands of the corrupt old regime. It's us whose making the medicine so that you and your children can be born deformity free. It’s us who provide responsible and effective governement to prevent the collapse of what’s left of civilisation. With our new Overlord, Lucian Grey, at the helm, you can rest assured that the world is in the best hands it possibly can be. The NWO—it's us!

“We now cut to a live announcement from the Overlord of Underland, Lucian Grey."

Lucian Grey, standing behind his desk in the Palace, appeared on the screen. He had slick black hair and thin features. His ears had been stretched long and contained large holes from the earings he wore. A bullpin pierced his nose. There were no retinas in his eyes—they were all pupil. He beamed.

“Citizens of Underland,” he said, “Today marks another step forward in our progress towards the new and glorius world we’ve been building for ourselves from the ashes of the old. A world free from corruption; characterised by peace, love and understanding.

“As we all know, the mutant population are innocent victims of the nuclear holocaust that occurred fifteen years ago. These poor souls have been given a raw deal and less of a chance in life, not through any fault of their own, but due to the corruption and iniquities of the Kings of the old regime and their ministries.

“The NWO considers it our duty and responsibility to ensure that mutants are provided with the proper care and encouragement that they deserve, and that they’re treated with dignity and respect as valued members of society.

“That’s why I’m delighted to announce today that construction has begun on a new city where mutants can live in freedom, peace, and with integrity. A city where all their needs will be provided for, where they’ll be free from discrimination, and where they can reach their full potential and become the very best mutants they can possibly be.

“I invite all mutants from all corners of Underland to make their way to their local NWO representatives and sign up for relocation to the new mutant city, a city of dreams, where they’ll be able to live fuller, care-free, happier lives.

“This announcement is indeed a cause for celebration and should further re-enforce the faith that people everywhere have in the NWO. The fact that the economy has now recovered to the point where we can provide for the mutant population is evidence that civilisation is back on its feet again. It still amazes me, ladies and gentleman, it amazes me and it inspires me every single day the way that you, the good citizens of Underland, have pulled together and made the best out of the horrific catastrophe that befell our civilisation. You’re survivors, every one of you, survivors and heroes, and it’s an honour and a priveledge to call myself your Overlord.

“I believe in you, my good citizens of Underland. I believe in humanity! And so long as everybody keeps helping one another, working together, and putting your faith in the NWO, then we’ll pull through this, together, as one great hive. Humanity will pull through. Humanity will prevail!”

The image of Lucian Grey in his office cut away and was replaced with the official flag of the NWO—a red upside-down pentagram, enclosed in a circle, on a black background—for a few moments before normal programming resumed on the one and only channel available.

Xavier was buoyed by the announcement. After closing the manhole to the attic of the two unregistered guests, “The showers are down the hall,” he marched down the stairs and into the foyer, where Bruce sat with his feet on the counter and his arms folded behind his head, snoring peacefully. Xavier released that his old man’s aura had weakened considerably lately. His shot-gun, Bessy, sat against the wall within arm’s reach.

“Bruce!” yelled Xavier, shaking his old man to rouse him from his slumber.

“What is it, Xavier?”

“They’re building a new city for all the mutants. So they won’t be a burden on everyone else.”

Bruce yawned and scratched his head. “Good, I guess. Doesn’t really affect us.”