Chapter 2: The Orchard - Android 51
After a long walk through the sewer lines, I finally reached what looked like an exitway. There was just a slight problem with the exitway. The dam thing was barred, so it prevented me from getting out. I was stuck here. I looked around, looking for clues on how to open the bars when suddenly a whoosh could be heard coming ever so close in my direction. I then heard water pouring out close to me, along with some disturbing muffled screams that stopped in a heartbeat. I glanced outside the bars, and I could see the gore remains of what was previously people; they had been squashed into a blob of matter by the pressure in the water line; the realization was terrible news. It meant that machines were trying to flush whoever was still down here. I guess the homeless didn't have access to the neuron link chips, so it would make sense they would still be alive.
If my math was correct, it took about forty-five seconds to fill the line with water since the first "whoosh." That meant I had about three minutes to find a way out before I also became a blob of meat. I looked at my revolver and then at the bars; they looked thick but also somewhat rusty; what if I shoot them enough to weaken them so I can break them with a simple kick? I had around five reloads left with me, give or take. So I started to look for the weakest-looking bars, and then I shot one of them. The bullet did a lot of damage, and the piece completely detached with some raw muscle. It gave me hope, so I used three more bullets.
I then realized that the last bar was giving less than the first. It was too late to choose another two bars, so I pressed on, trying to kick and move the bar, but nothing worked. As I was about to abandon my logic, I heard that "whoosh." it was now my line, the one being filled up; the rush of adrenaline pumped me so much that I concentrated hard enough to use my last bullet on the slimmest part of the remaining bar and then with a strong donkey kick I managed to get out of the way of the deadly water pressure just on time, getting brazed by the rushing water. "Fucking shit, that one was way too close for comfort." I expressed to myself as a way to relieve some stress.
Although I felt somewhat bad for not lending a hand to the remaining people begging me for help at the last line, I remembered that it wasn't my duty to play hero and try to save someone else. There were people left on the very last line, next to mine, so I gave up on trying to help them; there was not much I could do in that short amount of time to save them anyway. I looked their way, then signaled them that they only had around ten seconds left to live; they all looked defeated, finally saying their goodbyes to each other; it seemed like a whole family. It only made me feel worse, but then the rush of water killed them in an instant, turning them into a blob of meat that flowed right down beneath my feet. It was a cruel way to flush people out. They used enough water to kill but not much so as to not waste water. uhuhuh, how considerate of them. Saving water so there's no lack of water for the living people they were killing.
I walked along the empty drain canal until I finally saw a place I could climb out of. Gathering enough strength, I pushed forward and climbed out of that place. I looked around for any signs of life, anything at all. There was nothing. All the people I could see around what looked like a gas station were corpses. I then noticed that some of the cars at the gas station were still on and running like the owners wanted to run away but couldn't react fast enough. It was good news for me if I somehow took their bodies out of the driver's seat, I would be able to drive off the city to a more remote area where I could set off some operations base. So I did just that. I glanced at the cars available and chose a small four-cylinder vehicle.
If you thought about it, it made sense. If I picked one of the electric cars, I would be in serious trouble if I got shot with regular bullets as if they pierced the battery packs. I would be done for in a never-ending battery fire. It also made sense in the refueling since it would take me seconds to refill the gas car compared to hours or days to charge the electric one. Taking all of the information into consideration, I hurried up, got inside the small car, and got it started. I then ran into the gas station store and filled up bags with canned foods and other food that wouldn't perish so fast, and that was ratherly available at all gas stations, like beef jerky and nut trail mixes, etc. I ran back and forth from the store to the car until I was confident I didn't need more besides some gallons of petrol.
Once I was confident and ready, I got behind the wheel and began driving outside the city toward an old farm on the mountains I had visited some years ago. If there was any place to be safe, it would probably be there as the place was so remote and so unknown. I heard that the people running the shop far away had closed because barely anyone knew about the place. It would consume a lot of gas to get there, but I figured I would be safe if I got there, so I didn't care and continued with my plan. On my way to the remote farm, I saw the pure chaos the city was really in. The whole city was on fire, and occasionally, I could see giant explosions being set off. I assumed those were gas stations.
As the roads were empty, I progressed quickly, occasionally avoiding stopped cars and debris. Almost two hours later, I finally began to get closer to the farm. My tank was already down to five eights full from a full tank. I did like what I saw, though. The morning sun was finally showing itself, starting to shine bright. It was the last stretch of road that led to the orchard. As to be expected, there was a gate clearly stating, "Road closed, no trespassing past this point." I didn't make much of it. I then took a look at the lock they had used and noticed it was a crappy Masta Lock {Can't mention the actual brand for copyright issues}. I quickly grabbed a rock lying around and smashed the lock open with a single strike.
When I removed the lock, I opened the gate, allowing myself in; however, I did go back and close the gate to not leave any trace of people behind me. Simple steps like that would go a long way to making me more challenging to trace, so they were vital moves I had to make. I drove through the gravel path for around half an hour until I finally began to see the house at the top of the hill. There was another locked gate at the entrance of the actual orchard, so I got out of my car and went to look at the second locked gate. I kneeled and looked at the lock, noticing it was a Bowley lock. I cursed since I would have to shoot the dang thing open.
When I was about to stand up, I heard a shotgun pump behind me and then an old man's voice. "Didn't ya read the no trespassing sign at the entrance?" I recognized the voice, and so I called the old man out. "It's me, Mr. James. I'm the rider that used to visit your orchard every week back in the day." I then heard the unloading sound of a shotgun and turned around to see the now older James I had met all those years ago. When he saw me, he grinned and said, "You oughta be more careful, boy. I was about to blow your dang brains off, but even if it's you, what in the world are you doing here? My orchard is bankrupt and closed. I'm even planning to move out pretty soon." I then explained the situation to him, which he, of course, doubted, but then he believed me when I showed him the car that was all covered in blood.
"So that means I won't be able to move out of this bitch then? Goddam dam it!" The old man looked more concerned about his canceled retirement than that humanity was being wiped out of existence. "Yeah, well, that's where we are, so will you let me stay on your farm? I promise to work hard to earn my in." The man then walked to the gate and opened it for me, saying, "What choice do I get? If what you say is true, I will need a strong young man like you to take care of this place. I'm not as strong or fast to do it all alone now." And with that, we both got to the house up the hill.
With a shout, James called out to his family, which consisted of his wife and daughters. This man was a true alpha. He had kids throughout his life and even managed to have kids in his later years, all with the same woman he had married. If anything, I felt sorry for the lady as she was pregnant from her younger years all the way until she couldn't give him more children. And so, since all his other children had already moved out, his last three younger daughters hadn't. I had met them all before, but he introduced me to them anyway. "I'm sure you all know each other already, but just in case, this is Django. He will be staying with us from now on as per why I will need to have a chat with all of you as he brings horrible news of the outside world." His wife looked the most concerned, but she also said her welcome, along with her three daughters.
James then lost no time in giving me a task; quickly grabbing a rake, he ordered me to start raking the backyard while he talked over the situation with his family, which was fair enough; even if they knew me a bit, I was still a stranger in a way so I obeyed his orders.
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