In Search Of The Neon City

23 - Hannes

The helmet was cramped and I barely saw anything when I wore it. The air inside was hot and smelly, the feeling was claustrophobic and it did not help that the area around me was crowded with people.

The pulse beat so hard in my chest that I was amazed that they did not hear my panicking heart all the way to the butcher's bench.

My feet wandered purposefully among stones, debris and bone fragments. Stubbornly I pushed away the insight of where the bone fragments came from, I had other things to think about. I needed to stay calm.

We had split up, I had gone to the right and Jonna and Carl had gone to the left.

I glanced out between the narrow cracks in my helmet and tried to avoid eye contact with everyone I met. It was my first visit to the Outskirts, and I prayed to all the gods of the world that it would be my last.

The place was more than awful.

Carl had often told stories from his youth, when he was one of them. But I realised that he had chosen to leave some things out for us, and I was grateful for that.

There were cages everywhere. Emaciated women and some men, squeezed into such cramped spaces that they could barely move their arms inside. Stacked behind the walls like merchandise. Which they actually were.

I felt my stomach tighten and I had to fight the urge to vomit in my helmet knowing the area I was walking through did not contain slave trades. Here they sold those who were too weak to work, those that were to be eaten.

I forced myself to walk with a straight back and followed Lo's signal. The red dot, which made my heart beat a little harder with each blink.

The meat market, with the stinking rotten air finally disappeared behind me and I realised with relief that Lo must be in another part of this godforsaken place.

Glances from a dozen black-painted eyes followed my movements and I stretched my back even more. "I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared ... " My steps slowed down and I put my thumbs in the belt in an attempt to look calm and tough. But honestly, I had never been good at lying or acting, that they didn't see right through me was a miracle.

I stopped in front of a pile of old electrical components, motherboards and processors.

Hell, this can't be right, I thought, and started rummaging through the piles of old rusty stuff. I dug so that my fingers bled and with a big lump in my throat holding back tears and the fear of finding Lo's Link or his whole severed arm in the pile of trash.

"Carl, come and help me" I called out desperately over the radio and just a few minutes later they were both by my side.

"Hannes?" he asked hesitantly when he saw the panic in my eyes.

"The signal is coming from here ..." I whispered softly.

With a soothing hand on my shoulder, Jonna grabbed me and pulled me back "take a deep breath Hannes" she said and pulled out her scanner "Let me do this."

With a sigh I sank down and wished I could take off my helmet and wipe the sweat from my forehead.

Carl sank down next to me and patted me comfortingly on my back "we'll find him."

"Strange" Jo mumbled and frowned "the signal isn't from his Link."

"What do you mean?" I exclaimed and jumped up next to her.

"Someone copied his signal and hacked this old radio to broadcast it."

"What?" I looked at her wide-eyed behind the helmet "but why?" was all I could say.

"Someone has put in a lot of time and effort to lure us here," Carl muttered angrily, kicking a large tangle of cords.

"Or, to get us as far away from Lo as possible," Jonna muttered thoughtfully.

"Do you think Lo did this?" he asked with a skeptical look.

"No" I answered her and shook my head "Lo would never send us to this place" I muttered "but I think I know who."

"Who?" they both said in unison, staring at me.

"Twelve."