Z: In The Heart of the Queen City

Chapter 13

“Did you just quote Clash of Clans?” Jaycee asked. “So that's what this shit is! Your building some sort of community of freaks!”

I looked at Jaycee then at Mark, “What? I mean... are you fucking kidding me? Clash of Clans? This isn't a game! There are zombies outside these walls!” I cried. Then the people began to surround us. I was shocked to find out how many of us were actually in this room. I raised my hands to my shoulders, “Look, I hope you are joking and word of advise you seriously need to stay away from the stuff your smoking in here because it seems to be messing with your head.” Then Mark stood up revealing that he was as short as a hobbit. Not to mentioned he looked like Smeagle. Like a love child of Frodo and Smeagle who was out in the sun for a long time.

“You are here now, you are a part of my clan! So you follow my fucking rules or you fucking die!”

“He chose you as his queen! You should be honored! He built this empire and supplied us with elixir!” I heard a woman say, beside her Kat was already raising her katana. Oh God, I guess she meant the drugs when she said elixir. Cuckoo.

“Hush my darlings, Emma doesn't know what she's saying. Don't you Emma?” Mark said in a soothing tone. I clenched my teeth, trying to remain calm. “I...I do!” I said then suddenly I had a plan so without looking at Martin and Jaycee I nodded at him. “I could be your Archer Queen. If you could be my Barbarian King.” Then everyone rejoiced and I felt Martin grab my shoulders. “Emma! What are you doing? Do you want to marry Danny Devito?” He said.

Holy shit, I'd marry Danny Devito over this little poop face any day. But I was determined this was going to work.

“Please get my sister out okay?” I whispered to him. “You two help each other. You lead the way, and you keep fighting.” I said pointing at Jaycee too. Then I felt a knot on my chest, “I'll do it on one condition!” I faced Mark and had Martin let go of my shoulders. “You let my friends go.” I said slowly and heard Jaycee gasp. “No! No fucking way Emma! We've been through this the longest and you're not going to fucking do this!” He cried. “You'll die here! There isn't enough supplies to make it through a week even! The walls are going to break and the zombies are going to come in! You'll fucking die!” I couldn't bring myself to look at Jaycee. Yes, yes I knew I was going to die here, that was unsettling. But at least we weren't going to have to die together. At least Jaycee could get my sister back to safety. I walked forward but before I did, Martin reached out for my hand.

“You don't have to be a queen.” He said sadly. “At least not his queen.”

I smiled at him resisting the urge to Facebook his relationship status. I turned to Mark. “It's my fucking rules now right? Let my friends go.” I said raising an eyebrow. To my surprise he started to laugh, “Woah there Pocahontas! Who told you that you could make the rules?” He said. “Well, pea brain it's in Clash of Clans isn't it? Archer Queen is as much as an immortal as the Barbarian King.” I told him. “Not under my watch sister, in this town it's either my way or the highway.” Mark said scratching his birthmark. Holy crap, this guy was on some serious dope in fact the whole fucking place was. “Come sit by me my queen.” A couple of men began to pull me towards him. “No! Wait! You have to let my friends go!” I protested struggling to break free. I was already beside Mark when he looked at Jaycee and Martin. “Throw them to the prison where they will rot forever!” He ordered and people began to take them away. When Jaycee began to to defend himself, a man hit him in the head with the bottom of pistol. Mark had a field day when he saw Jaycee spit out a tooth. “You know what? Fuck you!” I said.

Then I kicked his crotch so hard he fell back.

Everyone was silent, then I heard Kat scream, “SHE HIT THE HOLY PEANUT!” Mark was grimacing in pain when everything broke into pandemonium. “Emma! Run!” Martin shouted. I did, or at least I tried to but it seemed that my luck had run out. The Hulk Hogan guys grabbed my arm and knocked me out unconscious. All I could hear was Martin's voice screaming my name and then once again the darkness I knew so well engulfed me.

I woke up without dreaming. I felt my dinner rise up to my throat so I sat up straight and puked. “Emma!” it was a familiar voice. I knew who it belong to so a wave of relief came over me. “Karen?” I whispered. “Karen!” Then the world finally fell into place. “Karen” I said for the third time. There she was, good old Karen. The smartest girl I had ever know  and she was alive and well. She was staring at me as she adjusted her frames. “I'm so glad your awake! Are you okay? Oh Emma you puked it must be from the blow to the head” She said. “Karen, you have no idea. What just happened...but wait,” I looked around, the dark room had only the faintest glow of sunlight. “Where are we?” I asked her. “They call this a prison.” Karen said rolling her eyes. “So I take it you haven't hopped on the cuckoo train yet?” I asked her. “No, of course not. Emma, I'm so glad your alive! Somehow I knew you were alive, you little toughie.” She smiled. “I'm glad that Jaycee is okay too. I saw them bring him in.” I leaned against the wall and stared at the ruined scaffolding. “Was he conscious when they brought him in?” I asked. “Yes. He kept cursing at them and then he gave up and began asking for a cheeseburger.” Karen laughed. My face got serious when I remembered someone else.

“Did they bring someone else in with us?” I swallowed hard.

To my surprise, Karen gave a sly smile. “If you're worried about prince charming, he was even more worried about you. Before they threw you in here, he asked me to watch over you.” She said. “Is there something I need to know here?” Karen teased. “It's a post apocalyptic thing. Jaycee thinks Martin just wants to uhm procreate when this is over.” I told her. “All Jaycee thinks about is sex and cars.” Karen shrugged. “Wait a minute, you said they threw me here right? So where are they?” I asked her standing up. Then I realized, this didn't look like the previous building. We were in a totally new place. “I'm not sure, they must be in the next office oh wait, at least it was an office.” Karen answered. “They took them to a different detention spot.” Then she rolled her eyes. “This whole thing is stupid prisons, supply centers everyone is just stoned and I'm sure you met the Marked One. He's the bloke who planned this whole crack house.”

My eyes scanned the area, I barely heard what Karen had been saying. “I think I've been here before.” I whispered, “Karen, I'll fill you in with the details of everything that's happened so far. But you have to tell me, where exactly are we?”

“Of course you have, everyone knows where the less crowded Starbucks is. Not to mention, we used to stalk a cute programmer here.”

Well that just made finding Chris' wife easier, we were in Ebloc 2.