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

Light and shows the way. We walk between the Cars that sit on either side of the Passage, large, thick cars colored tan and brown and green with Guns on them colored the same way.
    The Passage is high and dark. It goes deep into the Mountain and ends at a metal Door bigger than any I've seen, Real Times or since. It has the look of serious machines. He tells me to stand back and goes to a Box at the side of the Door and presses a button.
    The Box says, “That you, Tom?”
    “It's Neil. Tom's dead.” He looks at me, frowning.
    The box says, “Are you screwing with me?”
    “I wish I was. I have the...person who did it. Prepare to receive a hostile, and go wake up Graham.”
    Three seconds of quiet. Then a loud rush of Air fills the Passage. Neil waves the Gun at the Door as it separates from the rock and slowly swings open.
    The Voice of the Outside breathes In. We breathe in, too.
     
     
    III
     
     
     
    When the Door shuts behind us everything goes red. It's as if my Eyes have become angry and put Fire to the World.
    “Listen to me. Stand against that wall for the next three minutes and don't move, alright? Nod if you understand me.”
    Neil keeps the Gun pointed at me as he backs against the other Wall, next to the second Door. The Room is small. I can tell he doesn't like this because he's sweating. The red Light makes his face look covered in blood but I know for sure it's sweat coming out of him and not blood.
    I know what blood smells like.
    “Nod your damn head!”
    My Head goes up. Then it comes down. There's a drain in the ground under my Feet.
    “Don't move for anything, anything at all, or help me God I'll shoot you and deal with the consequences.” He raises the Gun higher when he sees my Mouth open.
    “You know the God?”
    “Of course I know God. Why?”
    “I want to know what he's like.”
    He squints through his Mask. “Are you screwing with me?”
    “No.”
    “Well, if you want to know what God's like, go ask Tom.”
    A picture comes into my Head of Tom laying on the Ground, looking up with his new face.
    Neil says, “Not for nothing, but Tom was an asshole. I know it, the whole base knows it. Hell, Tom knew it. It doesn't mean he deserved to die, though. Not like that.”
    “Yes, it was too quick.”
    He shakes his head. “That's not what I meant.”
    “He tried to give the Death to the little one and I stopped him. If he'd given it to her you'd be next to him, watching the Stars.”
    I add, “Help me God.”
    His eyes are big as Rocks through the Glass of the Mask. “You really are half-monster. Jesus, I should have killed you when I had the chance.” He checks the straps of his Mask and puts his hand over the red Button on the Wall.
    “Just do me a favor,” he says as he pushes it. “Try not to scream.”
    The red Light goes out and the World with it. It's like the Cavern again except worse. There are no Night Eyes here, no leaking Lights or Glow Beasts for my Eyes. There's only the Dark, as black as Leatherwing eyes and wrapped around my Neck, and then a sound: hissing, but not Munie. And then a feeling:
    Water on my Skin.
    It sprays from the Walls and Ceiling, cold on my Face and running down the Suit. I hear it everywhere with the echo of his voice repeating in my Head again and again and again.
    Three minutes.
    Three minutes.
    Three minutes.
    One-hundred eighty seconds of the Death Feeling. Gun or not, I scream.
     
     
    **
     
     
    Calm down. Slow your heart. Remember Child's face, remember she's still alive out there.
    I failed her, but at least I gave her a chance to run into the Wood, to disappear. I don't know if I'll see her again, and even though I want to, I hope she's far away from here. Somewhere without Real People and Guns and Giant Mouths that lead to Water Rooms.

Don't think about the Water.
    It's all over me, in my Hair, on my Face. I try to ignore it and think about other things, like apples and eggs and nests. I pull those pictures into the middle of my Eyes