ACCUPATION 2 Pilgrims of The Post-Apocalypse

Chapter 2: "I Can't Forgive Myself"

For those who didn't read the first book, my name is Toby. I'm technically a cyborg but the only thing human about me is my brain, which is stuck in a camera like head. Speaking of brains, mine is dying. But the good news is that I made a deal with Anthony "the mayor of the Accupation" he said that if I went with him to the surface world he would give me a new body. The hope is that my brain will stop complaining if it has a "more advanced" flesh suit. My past is a blur until I can get this new body.

Quietly I approached Anthony and asked him about our deal. Happily I anticipated my upgrade. Scratching his slimy face Anthony agreed to pay me back. Going to one of the armored vehicles carrying the luggage, he took one of the spare bodies from the back and gave it to me. "Now I remembered you didn't want an artificially grown one for... religious reasons?" I was surprised Anthony had remembered that, I had already forgotten. "Yes," I told him. He then put me in a medical car where my brain was removed from my body and placed into a new, more advanced one. Finally I could see in 3D. Before, everything looked flat like a painting.

Anthony then pulled me aside, and told me: "I'm glad you chose a robot body, biotech isn't the way to go. I'm about to give you the last piece of your puzzle." He then handed me a chip.

"What is it?" I asked. He then explained that it would give me all of my memories back. But he warned me that it could be overwhelming, and cause time gaps for a little while. It was tempting, no more memory loss? But there was something I didn't want to remember... had I done this to myself on purpose? What if this was for my own good? Anthony grew impatient as I sat in silence. "You're going to die for heaven's sake! Just take the chip!" Quickly I took it and plugged it in. 400 years rushed through my head at once.

Anthony waited in anticipation: "how do you feel." I wasn't sure how to answer that question. A sadness came over me, a deep darkness. Asking for privacy I left the room and searched for Daniela or Dexter, really anyone close who I could trust. As I ran through the crowd crying, Dexter saw me from afar and came running to me. "What's wrong?" He asked. Tears running down my face I told him: "I remember everything! They're all dead! My sister! I never found her! What happened?" Dexter sighed and took me in his arms. "Let's go for a walk away from the crowds"

As we walked through the abandoned buildings my life played over and over like a bad movie. I get marooned on an island, I get saved, war breaks out, and I stubbornly stay on the surface to fight. My father is probably still underground right now in some secret bunker. Why didn't I go with him? Dexter noticed me looking dazed and told me to stop overthinking. It's kinda hard when 400 years of emotional turmoil hit you at once. Like a bomb going off in your head everything begins to shatter and fall apart. I know he had good intentions, and to be honest I needed Dexter with me, but I at this point sent him back with the group. Slowly he disappeared into the sunset walking through the fields.

There was a structure that looked safe, it was an apartment complex. Walking in, a layer of dust and ash welcomed me home. A man sat on one of the old plastic chairs, the man with horns. "So you remember now?"

Remember what? "I replied."

Licking his tusks the monster clarified: "That it wasn't your fault?"

I was pretty sure I was hallucinating, yes why else would I be seeing an 8 foot dragon person?

He then finished: "never mind that, time to fight"

Chills ran down my spine as I heard a noise coming from the dark end of the hallway. By my side, a skeleton holding a bat. My hands began to shake as they reached towards it. Once I do this... there's no going back. Taking the bat from the skeleton it fell over, a photo layed on the ground, a faded photograph of what must've been him and his family. They won't be needing this anymore. Walking down the hallway poop lined the hall. leaves crunched under my feet and eyes glowed in the doors I walked past. I have a feeling they were more scared of me. Turning around I screamed "COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!" Flicking on the light switch, an entire pack of mutants was revealed. Deep breath in, deep breath out. One jumped at me but I slammed it into the wall. Two came at me with its teeth so I shot it before it could get a bite. Three and four went for my legs so I ripped the wires from the walls and electrocuted them. How many more are there? Well I guess I blacked out or something because when I looked up there must have been twenty of them piled around me.

Deep breath In, deep breath out. Dragon man appeared again and tapped my shoulder. Suddenly I was taken back to my past. It was during the war. The scene was a bad one. It was Mexico 2090. No no, not again! The dragon man gave me mercy and spared me the memory but said "remember, it wasn't your fault. My name is Conscience." Back in the hallway I looked around seeing all the death I had caused and wept so loudly that more mutants came into the building hoping to make me their meals.

A tear running down my face I once again picked up the bat. At the end of the night, a total of fifty mutants were slaughtered. Tired and adrift in my mind I climbed to the roof where I cleaned the bat on the fresh grass. What a night. My hands still shook from adrenaline like Dexters.

2090 was a bad year for me. We were losing the war against the Electroids, they made vehicles that would gather survivors. They formed a wall of these execution vehicles that swept across America. Those who were left were forced to be herded to Mexico. It was supposed to be safe, a country sized refugee camp. it wasn't supposed to backfire. I was one of the soldiers that brought everyone to Mexico, it felt like the right thing. When the robots got to the border they just turned around leaving us behind. Funny, we thought it was a good thing. The next day we saw a giant ash cloud that came from Florida.

They thought we did it. They were so angry. So terrified at the thought that we had a secret superpower. Not willing to risk our existence they nuked Mexico until it was leveled below sea level. An entire continent was bombed out of existence, turned to an ocean. I was the only survivor.