The Decay

Chapter 9 - Stonegate Town

9

A man appeared at the top of the gate. “Who are you?” he asked. Mike looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun above with an arm. “My name is Mike. I come from Mountain Side. The sheriff told me you might be able to give me a new home.” The man disappeared from sight. A few seconds later, the big gate opened. The man came out, unarmed, and raised his hand to greet Mike. Mike looked surprised, but shook his hand. “There's no need to seem so surprised Mike. We're civilized human beings.” He pointed at the two dead men close by, “That is of course unless you come rushing at our gate, shooting,” he said, laughing. Mike smiled and nodded. “Come on in. My name is Daniel. I'm the chief of security here.” Daniel was an African-American soldier, trained by his father. His grandfather had been a SWAT team commander in the period before World War IV. He was in his late forties and his black cap hid his bald head. He wore camouflage pants, a black vest and a camouflage jacket on top of it. Together, they walked in past the gate, which closed with a loud bang behind them. There was quite a distance to the large building. “So,” said Mike, “Where are we going?” Daniel kept walking. “A good friend of mine will want to see you, and chances are she can help you with a home as well.” Hope gleamed in Mike's eyes. 'A new home,' he thought.

“See that block on the left?” asked Daniel, pointing at the large building on the left. “That is the canteen. When you get hungry, that's where you go.” Mike glanced at the broken building. At this distance, cracks were visible in the walls. The largest ones had been patched up or fortified with various pieces of wood and metal. “And this one,” said Daniel, pointing to the building on the right “Is our armory. I'm sure if you need some equipment they can get you something... for a price.” They kept walking towards the smaller main building. Reaching the doors, Daniel opened them and walked in, Mike following suit. A corridor appeared as they entered. “Right this way Mike, we're almost there,” said Daniel. The corridor twisted first to the right and then to the left. They walked down a flight of stairs and then up another flight of stairs. A large wooden door appeared in front of them. “After you, Mike,” said Daniel, smiling. Mike twisted the large door knob and opened the door.

As the door opened, sunlight beamed in. Stepping outside, Mike gasped in awe. In front of Mike was what he could only assume to be a proper town: Many houses had been built in a massive outdoor space. Most of them were quite big. They had been made from wood and salvageable metal. A distinct airplane wing stuck out from the roof of one of the houses. A platform had been raised as second level to the town with just as many houses and other buildings. A large shopping complex was located at the far end, the remnants of a multi-storey car park.

The houses were arranged in a large semicircle on the ground floor, with a big garden in the center. Two ramps, one from each side, led onto the second floor on the platform. Here, there were two rows of buildings and a large walkway in the center. The platform extended to connect with the upper floor of the car park. There was a good distance between the houses, reflecting the space available. There was another ramp extending from the platform to the right side, with a lookout and a small hut.

“W... what is this?” asked Mike, jaw dropping. Daniel laughed and patted Mike on the back. “The big building you first saw is just what you can see from that side. We have a whole town in here, thanks to our parents and their parents. We left the large wall of the center block behind the smaller one intact so that everything behind it would remain hidden. As you can see,” said Daniel, moving an arm in a semicircle and pointing, “there is a large wall surrounding the whole town. Keeps us away from prying eyes of unwanted people.” Mike still couldn't believe the size of the place. Daniel pushed him forward slightly. “This way, Mike.”

Daniel and Mike walked up the ramp on the right and walked along the row of buildings on the right. At the last one, they stopped. Daniel knocked on the door twice. The door opened and a young woman appeared in the doorway. “Hi Daniel. Are you here to see mum?” she asked. “Yes Kate, could you call her down please?” The girl disappeared and shortly after a woman in her fifties appeared. Her long, black hair and thick-rimmed black glasses, together with her formal attire made her look sophisticated. “Daniel dear, how are you?” she asked, before turning to Mike. “And who's this young gentleman here?” Daniel hugged her. “Maxine, good to see you. This is Mike. He's a friend of Jack, you know...” Daniel trailed off, giving her a look. She sighed, then smiled bitterly. “Right... Jack.” She turned to Mike. “So, Mike, what can I do for you?” Mike was a little nervous now, but he managed to speak clearly. “Jack told me that I might be able to find a new home in this town. I used to live in a camp with my dad and some other friends up to a few days ago. We were attacked by armed people and everyone was killed. I managed to escape.”

A sad expression appeared on her face. She sighed. “My condolences. I am truly sorry to hear that,” she bit her lip before continuing. “Fortunately, there is a house available. It lacks most furniture, but I'm sure that if you speak to the home manager in the shop complex he can fix it up for you.” Mike felt relieved. “That sounds good. Just one more thing. I need to earn a living if I am to stay here. What would you suggest?” he asked. “Well, that depends Mike. What are you good at?” Mike looked down briefly, as if in shame, before answering. “I can hunt and kill. It's all I know,” he shrugged. Maxine nodded, thinking. She then looked at Mike and smiled. “I think I've got just the thing for you, Mike.”