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Streetwise

Kory fiddled with the short pistol gripped in his right hand, turning it about and catching the synthetic light of passing street lamps on its smooth curves and hard edges. The cold rubber face of a gas mask sat upon his lap, staring up at him unblinkingly, its eyes reflecting the dimmed orange glow of the surrounding city. Nathaniel's car didn't have soundproofing, so he and Kory were subject to the noise of every bump in the road, every distant voice, the roar of the highway, and the occasional scream of a far-off missile. The car trundled along a cracked pavement side road, stretching from the slums into the back alleys of the inner city, and -- eventually -- into the new industrial district. Factories loomed above as they approached, the moons glared balefully down through the clearing clouds, as if they did not take kindly to being blinded. The back alley merged onto an industrial road, running between the factory spires and straight towards the park. A few hundred meters from the imposing chain-link fence surrounding the park, they stopped the car and clambered out. The parking lot around them was an ashen grey color, garbage strewn over it and the few parked vehicles rusted and scratched. The rain had let up a bit, but the signs of its passing had accumulated all around. Puddles grew like lakes in the cracks and depressions of the black asphalt. The strange, enchanting smell of petrichor broke through that of pollution and noxious smoke, briefly giving the surrounding buildings a look of whimsy. Kory pulled the hood of his jacket up, in defiance to the chill breeze that remained in the wake of the storm. He began to quickly stuff his mask and firearm into a dull green backpack that Nathaniel had provided, not wanting to be suspected of his intentions to infiltrate Carver Park. Nathaniel did likewise, swinging a long brown duffle bag over his shoulder.

He nodded, and the two began to wordlessly walk up the abandoned sidewalk alongside the park's oppressive fence, topped with the reaching arms of barbed wire. Through the fence, Kory could see into the strange rectangular construction. The brambles had long ago overgrown their designated areas, spilling over the disused pathways and strangling other plants in the endless war of attrition for survival.  Trees grew without pruning, tangling their branches together into a dense canopy. Even the previously well-trimmed flowers had gone rogue, overwhelming the rusty steel and ceramic confines of their pots. The pond, visible only slightly through the restless tangle of nature, had strayed from the light azure of purity into a muddled and muted brown and black, the sheen of oil occasionally casting rainbow light dancing across the surface. Shadowed outlines of animals shifted throughout the mock forest, moving quickly and visible only for seconds at a time before being obscured by some tree, or swath of vines. He tore his gaze from the interior to stare down the sidewalk ahead. Nathaniel had outpaced him, and was crouching near a small hole in the linked chains. Kory broke into a short sprint, not wanting to be left alone with the odd shadows in the brambles. "Where--" Kory began to speak, but was silenced by a sharp shushing from Nathaniel. Kory sat silent as Nathaniel went about opening the duffle bag, and snatching a large rubber mat from within. He placed it around the edges of the opening. "It's electrified. No officers around, that means they're confident no one will get in -- or even want to try. The rubber should protect us." Nathaniel explained. Kory nodded. 

After the mat was in place, Nathaniel pushed the heavy duffle bag through into the dirt on the other side, and then crawled through himself. Kory repeated the action with himself and his backpack. They both quickly threw on their masks and drew their firearms one through the hole, even before observing their surroundings. They had emerged into the basin of a drained pond, over grown with sharp weeds and twisting brown grass. The bramble thicket surrounded the small depression, forming a barrier just as formidable as the barbed wire topping the border fence. Nathaniel checked the GPS while Kory scanned the edge of the thorny forest, fear of the unknown guiding his hand and the pistol held within. A few minutes passed, Nathaniel shifting to wrangle a viable signal and Kory's heart beating as a marching band's drum. The air here, even filtered through the mask, felt blighted. It tasted stale and abrasive, like bread crumbs solidified into grains of sharp sand. Trees seemed to be bending closer to the pond, creaking ever so slightly in their direction, branches reaching like claws and roots crawling like snakes. The shadows hadn't wanted to be left out -- they skirted the edge of the crater as if it were a burning bonfire -- curious of its contents by knowing better than to dive in. The sky even took on the semblance of preparing for the coming fray, the spaces between the stars shifting ever so slightly crimson and the moons glaring and focusing more with each second. Kory could swear he even heard the faint sound of an off-key violin. For every breath he took, the world felt that much closer to collapsing in on itself. For an eternity, Kory stood stock still and simply waited for the end to come. 

"Alright, damn satellite finally came in range...Looks like the northern path is our best bet. Less overgrowth, and that manhole definitely shouldn't be there...Looks like just the place to find something no one wants you to..." Nathaniel mumbled, more so to himself than Kory. Kory snapped upwards at the sound of his voice, turning his head from the forest back to Nathaniel and then wiping it aggressively back to stare at the ominous sight. He looked on in shock. Gone. The sky wasn't red, but black. The trees were still, no shadow moved, and the moons had gone back to their own inanimate existence. There were no discordant strings, only the slight swish of wind through dead plant life. Kory shuddered. "Yes. Okay...Let's move." Kory answered between sharp gasps for air. They crawled up the side of the pond, Nathaniel cutting a path through the brambles with a large knife. He showed no sign of having experienced the...episode...that Kory had gone through. If anything, he looked at ease. Cautious, yes, but not as fi he expected the moons themselves to end his life. They emerged from the thicket onto a strangely clean path, the bushes and tangled vines keeping a respectful distance from the cracked stone. Small indents were visible in the stone, as if a great heavy thing had tread upon it over and over again, recording its passing in cold rock. The path curved wildly, allowing the duo to see only ten feet in front of them at any time. They walked for a long time, things occasionally approaching them from the sides, making their presence know only by a slight rustling and the keen feeling of being watched. After a long bit of this, the path split. The left most end bending towards a small shack -- erected in clear defiance to the law -- while the right continued its crazy serpentine journey into the park. Just as they were about to head down the right path, a low buzzing began to surround them. Both looked about (one more overtly startled than the other). Kory was the first to notice the source. 

Hovering low above the tree tops stretched a long line of shining blue and red lights, alternating color as they went. Kory recognized these lights form countless reports on the television. The drones of the Denton Military Police where flying over the park, rotors buzzing and lights flashing. Nathaniel saw the line, swore, and began to sprint down the left fork. Kory froze for a moment, struggling to surge his stilled legs into action but meeting stiff resistance. He finally torn his rooted legs from the ground, and ran after the figure of Nathaniel -- turning his back to the rapidly approaching line. His head blared with no worded thoughts, only a sharp fear and the consciousness of how hard the mask made his already labored breathing. Nathaniel had already reached the shack and thrown open the rotting door, motioning aggressively for Kory. Kory sprinted -- flying over the ground and narrowly avoiding the tendrils of traitorous brambles and vines -- before tumbling through the open door, just as the drones began to scan the clearing. Nathaniel slammed the door, and sat down beside Kory to catch his breath. It seemed the police hadn't left Carver Park entirely unguarded. They had simply retreated to a more comfortable distance from which to watch it.