The Mountain and The City: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale by Brian Martinez

like him, and neater than the taller. The taller has spots on his face and little teeth in his mouth which he shows me as he talks.
    “Well, well. You're not an ugly, old monster at all, are you? A little beat-up, maybe, but that suit's been keepin' you fresh.”
    “She's infected.”
    “She's young.” He walks around, pushing the Gun into my Shoulder. “And I think she's got nothin' on under this thing. Oh, honey, where have you been hiding all my life?” His words become louder as he brings his mask next to my Ear. “I bet you're good for one, last party before you go full-monster.”
    “Don't get so close, you know how unpredictable the early stages are.”
    “You think I don't know that,” the taller one shouts, “you think I don't remember all the shit we've been through?”
    “I know you remember, Tom. I want you to act like it.”
    The taller one breathes into his Mask and walks around to my Front. “I'm just trying to have a little fun here.” Then his face creases and he pokes the Gun into my Stomach. “What do you have in there? Did you bring your daddy a little present?” He laughs and moves the Gun around, and with it the things I hide.
    “No.”
    “Don't be modest, I'm sure you have all kinds of presents in there for me to unwrap. Here, let me take a look.” He reaches his fingers toward the Neck of the Suit, his little teeth showing in his mouth.
    I'm not sure what happens next. I lose track of the seconds, which is rare for me since I used to be the Keeper of the Time, but in one second I'm watching the hair on his knuckles blow in the Voice of the Outside, and in another he's screaming and shaking the same hand and saying so many words that his mask is foggy with them.
    “I told you to be careful, now we have to take you in to be disinfected.” The smaller one keeps distant. “Oh man, Graham's gonna be pissed.”
    The taller one points his Gun at the smaller one. “Pissed? I'm the one you should worry about!”
    “Alright. Calm down.”
    He points it at me. “Enough screwing around, show me what you're hiding in there.”
    The smaller one nods for me to do it. I reach in and take out the Silvery Tape and lay it on the Ground.
    “Keep going.”
    I take out the Night Eyes and wait.
    The Gun clicks. “I thought I told you to keep going.”
    I take out the other Night Eyes. He shows his little teeth again.
    “Now we're getting somewhere.”
     
     
    **
     
     
    The taller one searches the Building while the smaller one points his Gun at me with a serious face. Then the taller one comes back with his hand wrapped up in cloth.
    “Who's waiting for you out there? Is it a man? Please tell me it's a woman, make this the happiest day of my life.”
    I listen to the dark.
    “That's okay, honey, watch how easy this is.” He pushes me with the Gun toward the Fence. We stop where the Road leads up to the Gate. A thick piece of metal lays on the Ground and looks like it can slide across the Hole and cover it up when the Gate is open, so the Real People can walk over without falling in.
    He holds my Neck. “Hey! Whoever's out there, come take a look at this. I got my gun to your pretty, little infected girl's head. Caught her trying to steal some of our stuff. Problem is I'm pretty bored here, I might pull the trigger just to see what colors come out.”
    “Come on, Tom.”
    “I think you better show your face before I put a bullet in hers.”
    The Night is quiet. Even the Tree Beasts stop shouting at the sound of his voice. He moves his hold from my Neck to my Chest, feeling me with his wrapped-up hand, and I shout for him to stop but he just laughs.
    Something moves in the Wood. When I see what it is, I realize the mistake I've made. He touched me to get noise out of me, and it worked. He hoped the noise would upset anyone who heard it and bring them out of hiding.
    And it worked.
    Child inches out from the Wood, sniffing the Air, squinting to see. I can't let them touch her, especially the