The Mindless Man's Paradise

Chapter twenty-two | Cyrus

The sight of the blob made him walk faster than ever before.

  He didn’t want to look at the progression of the girl’s veins. He knew they must be close to her chest, and once they reached her heart; she was done for. The thought made him burst into a jog.

  But when he did this, the girl started to moan. Apparently it wasn’t a very smooth ride.

  So instead of jogging, he fast walked as smoothly as he could without tripping.

  The Society was drawing near.

  He double checked his map, brought his fingers over the ‘x’ that was placed on the coordinates 35.7 degrees north and 83.5 degrees west.

  His heart was beating faster for some reason. Was he scared?

  Yes. He was definitely scared.

  The closer he got to the Society, the more he appreciated that the girl wasn’t awake.

  He had known her hopes for the Society, and even though she had switched sides, he still thought she might be disappointed in what she’d see.

  It wasn’t a glistening city in the mountainside. It wasn’t surrounded by flower gardens, or made from gold.

  There was a thick, sinister wall that surrounded the city. On the top, there was barbed wire. The Society didn’t look inviting at all. In fact, the Society looked like a monochromatic prison.

  How would he ever escape those looming walls?

  Had his mother only told him that to make him feel better?

  He pushed this thought aside. His parents had escaped. This gave him faith in himself. If they could do it, so could he.

  The Society was a little over a mile away now.

  It gave off a depressing aura.

  Finally, he was standing at the Society’s doorstep. Except at the Society’s doorstep, there wasn’t a mat that said ‘Welcome Home!’

  At the Society, there were just two towering doors that stretched higher than the eye could see, and a small screen at eye level.

  It blipped on when Cyrus had approached. There was static for a couple moments, but it turned a bright white color that was practically blinding.

  “Welcome to the Society.” it stated in monotone. “State your business.”

  “Uhh…” Cyrus pondered.

  “Access denied.” it plainly said.

  “No!” he shouted. “I’m here with my Soul Mate. She’s gravely ill and needs to be tended to immediately. She is dying.”

  “One moment please.” the voice said.

  Cyrus waited.

  The voice came back. “Place any and all weapons in the hatch below. Bags will be checked upon arrival.”

  At that, a small door opened, and Cyrus sadly deposited the beautiful shiny revolver and all of its ammunition.

  “Thank you.” said the computer.

  Suddenly, the doors had begun to crack open. There was a great deal of squeaking and groaning.

  “Welcome to our glorious Society.” the computer said before going blank again.

  Cyrus didn’t hesitate to pull the girl from the wheelbarrow, toss it aside, and enter the doors.

  On the other side, there was a plain room full of people in bulletproof vests, each with ‘HQ’ written across the front and back.