The Mindless Man's Paradise

Chapter twenty-four | Cyrus

The walk was long.

  Cyrus didn’t mind it all that much, though. He was busy taking in an average day in the Society. Hardly anybody was walking on the sidewalks like himself. Everyone was cruising on bicycles.

  There was an efficient traffic system, actually. Color-coded lights; painted streets; small signs. It was extremely inventive.

  He’d never seen anything like it.

  By the time he had gotten to his building, he was relieved to see two bikes in the rack with his room number on it.

  He was sure that in the future, he would find himself wanting to walk that distance less and less. Having a bike would be luxurious in comparison to his usual means of travelling.

  Finally, Cyrus made his way up to his room unable to hide the apprehension any longer.

  He wanted to lie down. His long walk had finally taken its toll, and all he wanted was sleep. Not only that, but this room would be his new home for the time-being. He would eat, sleep, and bathe there.

  Cyrus entered the lobby and was greeted by a gust of warm air. As his face began to thaw out, he pressed the up button on the elevator panel.

  There was a small red carpet that he was standing on. Lifting his feet, he could see that the design was indeed HQ’s seal. The seal was comprised of a dove holding an olive branch, and above, there was the sun and moon. There was a phrase written around the circle: “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” The dove with the olive branch supposedly represented peace, whilst the sun and the moon represented harmony. And, of course, the quote spoke for itself.

  As Cyrus boarded the elevator, he became quite sure that the quote was from a pre-HQ era. It was too poetic and lyrical for anyone in his time to create. But alas, he knew he would never find out the name of its author, for names weren’t allowed in the Society, or anywhere for that matter.

  Cyrus entered, pressed the button for floor number ten, and held onto the railing as it lurched upwards. Looking around himself, he noticed a mirror that he couldn’t help but gaze into.

  It was obvious that he hadn’t slept in a long time. He had bags under his eyes that were even worse than the girl’s had been. His hair had a wind-blown look to it.

  The blood red color of the uniform reflected an almost orangey glow onto his face.

  He ran his fingers unconventionally through his hair, but they got caught in a knot part of the way through.

  Ding!

  The elevator had stopped and the small screen showed the number ten. The doors sliding open, he stepped out into a carpeted hallway lit by lamps mounted at intervals on the wall.

  He hardly had to walk two steps before coming upon the emerald green door with his room number on it: 33J.

  Lifting his hand, he went to grab the knob. As he neared, his hand stopped. He was scared. Not of the room itself, but stepping into it made the whole Society thing final in his eyes. The definitiveness wasn’t in the paperwork, or the disposal of half his belongings, it was in walking through that door.

  He closed the remaining space. The cold metal chilled him more than the frigid air outside. Twisting the handle, he listened as it went click!

  He swung the door open. The first thing he saw was the kitchen, which was quite grand. Actually, the whole place was spacious, intricate, and beautiful.

  As he passed through the kitchen, he ran his hand over the granite countertop. Smooth.

  He entered a door at random. Behind this door, was the master bedroom. The walls were the same shade of red as his clothes, and the bed was enormous. It was practically big enough to fit his whole family in it with room to spare. The bed posts were very tall, and joined above with curtains that could be drawn. Unlike the walls, the bed had been decorated in a golden satin with red accent pillows.

  There were mahogany bedside tables, dressers, and bookshelves. And to top it off, there was a window that looked down on the city.

  He wanted so badly to explore even more of the house, but the more he looked at that bed, the more tired he grew. Soon, it became difficult to keep his eyes open, so he gave in. But not before he crossed the room, and encased himself in the lavishness of the comforters.