The Young Fighters

CHAPTER 13

As the buildings got taller, the place started to get more eerie. Some of the structures looked as if they were burned on the inside as a way to make the edifice collapse, but failed in the process and left behind nothing but burnt concrete with some of its metal skeleton exposed. A couple of them were still up in flames with dark smoke rising out of what from Leah's point of view could have been seen as fire exiting a dragon's mouth.

Of the many horrors Leah was seeing now, they were nothing but Halloween costumes as she found bones, human bones laying in some alleyways. She started to get uncomfortable from looking at a small series of skulls resting upon the filthy ground with clothes that have become tattered from bullets. Never in Leah's life had she wanted to go home now more than ever. She started to wish that she had wings so that she could fly away.

"Where does Joel reside at?" Leah asked out of curiosity.

"Joel spends his time inside the Thibert Building." Marcus answered,

"Thibert Building?" She'd never heard of such a place. Her best guess of where Joel might live was inside a mansion along the outskirts of the city dressed in his best while drinking fine brandy and smoking expensive cigars.

"It's the headquarters for a public bank." He paused. "But since there's no need for cash, that's now the command center for Joel and his leaders." Marcus added.

"Have you ever been inside?"

"Lots of times." Marcus turned onto Broad Street while Leah's keen eye took note of the street signs. She'd make sure to keep that name in mind. Once the Hummer was on the center of Broad, the security measure increased drastically. It almost seemed like they had arrived onto a military base rather than a city. Snipers stood atop building with scoped assault rifles, all of them dressed in dark clothing. All of them tuned their heads to look down at the yellow Hummer as it drove promptly along the road. Ahead of them stood an outpost with curled barb wire laying on the ground with some sandbags to form an open gate. The soldiers on the ground patrolled with much ease and grew cautious when they looked over to see Leah through the window as she looked at them. One of them had a cigarette propped in his mouth and looked like he was fourteen.

As they passed through the entrance, soldiers waved and knotted their heads at Marcus and his crew. Joel's headquarters was only a few buildings down before they'd reached him, and parked in an empty spot along the driveway next to the Thibert structure. The parking lot aside the building served not as a place for vehicles to remain, but for solders who'd set up large tents that were now being used as barracks. Theses series of pavilions served as where Joel's ground pounders resided and called shelter. If they were ever needed, all their leader had to do was make the call, within seconds they'd be ready for action.

Everyone dismounted from the Hummer and they entered the Thibert building where two armed guards remained as sentries. Their eyes watched over Leah as she focused on them. Upon setting foot inside the building, she saw walls covered in graffiti with the smell of tobacco smoke crammed into the air and was filled with several other soldiers moving about. Few of them looked overworked, some wearing red caps on their heads with metals pinned on their chests like they were war heroes.

Leah asked Marcus why some of them wore the caps and she was informed that they were of a high ranking. To her, it seemed like she'd stumbled into a military base/dictatorship that was only three hours away from where she lived. Marcus approached the front desk where a man wearing a red cap as a regular soldier sat behind him. He spoke to the commander and was questioned about his guest, Marcus response by telling him that she was to see Joel. The young man with the cap took a brief glance at Leah and nodded before allowing them to use the elevator. To Leah's surprise, the inside of the winch seemed to be the only thing inside the building that didn't have any guards in it.