Smog

Dust City

As I walked along the sidewalk I saw my destination come into view. The second tallest building in the city. Still walking, I checked my bag to make sure I had everything I needed. It was all there. I stepped around the back of it and emptied my bag of a device I designed myself. This machine would help me scale completely flat walls. It had two handles attached to small drill-like things that would go straight into the wall, and a wire that fell from the handle. There were small locks along the wire that would fit around my feet and lock them in place. I grabbed my harness and clipped it to the wires. The handles were already in my hands. I had done this dozens of times already. Enough times that I just climbed the building subconsciously. My hands grabbed the handles and moved up to the tower. The handles drilled into the wall, and my feet were stuck in place at the bottom of the wire. My feet slid up the wire like nothing. I moved the handles up as far as I could and drilled into the wall again. My feet slid up the wire again, bringing me higher.
Before I knew it I was at the top. I looked down and saw the smog and smoke and dust that caused this city to be the worst place on Earth. Down on the ground no one would be able to see even 15 feet in front of them because of it. Everyone had to wear big uncomfortable masks to filter out the smog and in the air. But I had climbed up above all of that. There were no problems up here. No smog, or bad people. Just me and the sky. Almost no one had seen the sky in 36 years. A lot of people have never seen it. As far as I know, I'm the only one who's seen the sun or the moon. I pulled up my climbing device and put it in my bag, then walked to the center of the roof. I had brought a blow-up mattress a long time ago, and ever since then I had been sleeping up here.
It was slowly getting darker, and the sun fell behind the other buildings. Behind Layton Tower. Layton Tower was the tallest building in the city, and the reason all the smog was here. 36 years ago George Layton claimed he created a machine that could turn garbage and trash into a gas that would be healthy for the environment, and make everything cleaner. He lied. Within a year of activating the machine and starting a business that used them constantly, people were getting sicker and started coughing more. No one knew what it was at first, but after a while some hackers exposed the truth. There were some protests, but they quickly died off. No one cared enough to do something about it, much less believe the hackers.
Now, this city is barely livable. It was given a nickname about 20 years ago. Dust City. barely anyone remembers the original name, and those who do don't live anywhere near here. My parents knew. But they were killed long before they could tell me. My mom was one of the hackers that exposed George Layton, so he hired someone to... You know. By now it was much darker, the moon being the only light source. I took off my breathing mask and put it on the roof next to me. It was such a relief to take that thing off. I breathed in the fresh air and smiled happily. But that feeling dissipated when I realized I'm going to need to go back down to even ground in the morning. I rolled over and closed my eyes.
I awoke suddenly at 7 sharp. I put on my mask and climbed back down the building. Walking down the sidewalk I noticed a truck driving down the street. I'd seen it before. I'd seen it once a week for about a month now. There were no labels on the side, or anything to show where it might be from or what its purpose was. I hated not knowing things. This was something that was too suspicious to reach its destination without trouble. Ever since the smog covered up most of the city, crime rates had gone up. Way up. There was no chance that there wasn't some gang trying to raid this and take whatever was inside. I had to follow it. I waited until it turned the corner and then jogged just to the edge of the corner. I peeked my head off the side just enough so I could see where its next turn was. It had turned right just ahead of where I was. I ran up to where it turned and stared straight down the road, looking for where it turned. I ran farther. If I went too far I might get lost. I may know this city well, but not well enough. I continued following the truck down the many streets before it stopped at Layton Tower. I think I could make my way back from here. But I still wanted to see what they were doing. I watched the men step out of the truck and open up the back of it. Some other people walked out of Layton Tower carrying desks and computers. They heaved them up into the truck and then closed the back once again. The truck left once again and started heading towards the street. Not just any street though. The only road in the whole city that led straight to the second tallest building in the city. How could I not notice? George Layton was moving locations. Right into my building.
I ran as fast as I could, I nearly tripped over my bag which I had dropped, but was able to save myself. I picked up my bag and continued running. By the time I reached the building, I was breathing heavily and it was too late. They were unloading the truck. The men that drove the truck were moving the computers inside the building. It would take them a while to move everything up into the offices. The second they stepped into the building I ran into the truck. I sat in the driver's seat for a minute, waiting for the men to get far enough away to not see me. I had never driven a car before. Everyone that owned a car had driven out of the city when it all went bad. There were barely any here. At least I was 17. Maybe being old enough would help me learn. Probably not. I started the truck and put my foot on the pedal. The truck started moving.
I hadn't ever done anything like this. I thought about what my parents might think. They wouldn't approve of stealing, but they always told me and each other to fight for what we believed in. I needed to keep Layton from doing this. I can't let him get what he wants. He ruined this city, and is profiting off of everyone's pain. I was going to drive this truck to the edge of the city and hide it. Maybe make it a mobile home, that would be nice. I saw the edge of the city come into view.  The river along the edge was colored brown. It really made me think about how just people could do this. I couldn't believe it. I parked the truck behind a small building that I'm pretty sure used to be a grocery store.
Looking in the back of the truck, my eyes looked over several more desks and computers that weren't unloaded thanks to me. I jumped in and sat down on one of the desks, and pressed a button on a keyboard. "Right. They need power." I said quietly to myself. I jumped down out of the back of the truck and walked into the abandoned grocery store. Maybe they still had some things in here I could use. Luckily they didn't only sell food and ingredients. It used to sell, appliances, tools, toys, and other things. I checked the technology isle for a portable power source or a generator. Odds are other people stole all of them, but it wouldn't hurt to check. Peeking my head around corners and into every isle near there I searched. Searched for anything that might help. Then I found something. It was in a glass display case, but it was still a generator. A damn good one too, it held a lot of power. I slammed my hand down on the glass, but nothing happened except a stabbing pain entering my hand. I yelled out in pain and held my hand to my chest. I shut my eyes and crouched down. "OW! Ow ow ow ow..." I needed to find something else that would help me. I looked around and found a video game controller. I doubted this would help but at least it wouldn't hurt my hand as much. I smacked the side of the case and saw it slide slightly off the pedestal. Darnit, this would've been so easy! I lifted the glass case off of the pedestal and examined the generator. There was a small card in the corner that told me what brand it was and what it was capable of. This thing would be able to power a computer for about 2 weeks. Hopefully that'll be enough. I lifted up the generator, which felt really light. Lighter than it said on the card. Lighter than it should. I brought it up to my face and examined it a bit more. On the back it said: 'For display only.' It wasn't a real generator! It was just a prop! I threw it on the ground and kicked it.
I walked back to the truck and sat in it, my head resting on the dashboard. Was this worth it? Why am I trying to do all this? I'm just one kid in a messed up city basically owned by a messed up company that I can't stop. If I keep doing things like what I did with this truck then they might be damaged enough that they can't move. But that was wrong. I can't just keep stealing trucks. I never wanted to be a criminal like this. Maybe I can stay peaceful against Layton. But how will I be able to take him down if I don't do big things like I did with the truck? I sighed. What am I doing?
It was getting dark, and I realized I wouldn't be able to sleep on the roof of my building tonight. It had been a year since I started sleeping up there. I remember that back before I built my climbing device and made my place up on the roof, I would just sleep in the most comfortable place I could find that was close to me. Usually it was just on a dirty carpet under a table, or something worse. I couldn't risk leaving right now and finding a better place, Layton's guys would be looking for anyone to interrogate them, so this truck was my best option. I laid down in front of the seats on the floor and closed my eyes.
I awoke to the sound of footsteps outside. I was a very light sleeper, so anything could wake me up. I carefully peeked my head up and looked out the window. There were two people walking down the road. They weren't dressed in Layton's uniforms so I assumed it was safe. I sat back down in the seat and watched them. One of them tripped and fell, and the other just stared at him until he got up. They kept going further down the road without stopping. I watched them until they were far enough away to not hear or see me.
I reached over and grabbed the door handle on the opposite side of the truck and opened it. I looked around to make sure no one else was here, and then jumped out. I had barely reached the ground by the time I heard a noise coming from inside the abandoned store next to me. I quickly ran towards a trash can nearby, took the lid off to use as a shield if need be, and hid behind it. The noise was getting closer. It came out of the store and was stepping slowly towards the truck. Then there was a thud on the ground. I stood up and looked over at what the noise was. There was a dog there. It was the thing that made the noise, and it had fallen over and made the loud thud. I ran to it and dropped the lid of the trash can. There was a company that made breathing masks for pets like dogs and cats, but this dog wasn't wearing one. I slid my arms under the dog, who was barely alive, it had been breathing in too much of the smog, and lifted it up. I ran into the store and put it on the ground by the door. I ran all through the store looking for any of the pet masks, hoping to save it. They would be in the pet isle I thought. I was frantically looking around while sprinting down the isle, there had to be one mask. At least one! Then I saw them. There were only 2 left and I grabbed them both and ran straight back to the dog. I struggled to put the mask on it, as my hands were shaking uncontrollably. I was very nervous. This dog's life was in my hands, I couldn't mess this up.
After a while, the dog's breathing seemed smoother and without difficulty. I was stroking its thick light brown fur and I had never felt anything softer. I had never owned a pet but had always wanted one. I lifted up the dog again, and brought it to the pet isle. Food. He needed food. Luckily, there was some left. People were desperate, but they weren't desperate enough to eat dog food. I dragged it towards the dog, and brought a small bowl I found as well. I needed to find a feeding room. People and animals couldn't eat with the masks on so special rooms were designed without the smog so they can take the masks off. They were in almost every building. It wouldn't be too hard to find one.
The dog slowly got up and looked at the food, and then at me, and it started whimpering. I started petting it again and scratching its head a little bit. I started walking towards the exit, picking up the dog food and bowl on the way, and noticed that the dog was following close behind. The sliding door opened and allowed us to walk out and find a feeding room. The building just next to the store was someone's home. I stared through the window and saw no one there. The home was messy, covered in dirt, and clearly no one had lived there for a long time. I opened the door, which was unlocked, and immediately saw the door to the feeding room on my left. The dog was still behind me, but it was very weak. I doubted it would be able to walk much more. It's legs were shaking and it was obviously tired. I opened the door to the feeding room and stepped in, telling the dog: "Come here. Come here, it's okay." Once we were in, I closed the door behind me, and all of the smog was sucked out of the room through a small vacuum in the ceiling. The dog and I were in a sort of airlock that was built into the entrance to the room. The door to the actual feeding room opened, and allowed us inside. The room was all white. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, all white. It looked like a room in an asylum. The only exceptions were the chairs and table that were placed in the center of the room as well as a cabinet in the corner. They were a dark brown color.
I dropped the dog bowl on the ground and filled it with food. Then I took off the dogs mask. The dog immediately started eating the food ferociously, like it had never had food before. As soon as the bowl was emptied I poured another one, which the dog finished in less than a minute. I sat down in one of the chairs, and heard my own stomach growl. I stood up and looked in the cupboard. Food. A lot of food. How had no one else taken this yet? There was cereal, chips, a couple bottles of water, and a loaf of bread. It was probably stale, but food was food. I took it all out and laid it on the table. I opened one of the bottles of water and poured about half of it into the dogs bowl, and the dog started drinking it. When the bowl was emptied the dog walked into the corner of the room and laid down.
I opened the bag of chips and reached in. I hadn't had these before. I heard previously that they were very good, but I never got the chance to try them. I took out one of the chips and examined it. It was a yellowish color, and covered in salt. I started eating more and more of them until the bag only had a few crumbs left, which I dropped into my mouth. I crumpled up the bag and put it back on the table. That filled me up enough, I wouldn't need to eat any more. I hadn't had a breakfast in a long time. The dog probably hadn't either. I should give him a name. I stood up and walked next to the dog, and then sat right back down on the floor. "What should I call you?" I decided to name him after a feature of his. He had blue eyes so I thought I could call him Blue. Why not?
The dog woke up at the same time I suddenly got an idea. I thought that if the house had enough power to use the vacuum thing that sucked out the smog in the feeding room's airlock, then it might be able to power a computer. I stood up and walked out. I ran to the truck, hoping that Blue was either behind me or still at the house, and the moment I got there I opened the back, grabbed a computer, rested the monitor on the top of it, and slowly carried it back to the house.
When I got back, I saw that the dog was still there, but it had fallen back to sleep, and that there was an outlet by a desk in the main room. I plugged in the computer and hooked it up to the monitor. I pressed the power button on the computer, hoping that it would turn on. I waited a minute, and nothing happened. I tried again, holding the button longer for this time. I saw a light turn on and and the screen lit up. The words: Layton Industries appeared on the screen and I frowned. I waited for the computer to start up and when it did I saw a cat on the screen. It was a small white cat that was lying down in a green field. I hadn't ever seen anything so green. I hadn't ever seen a cat either. I looked beside me and saw the dog staring daggers at the screen, like it was about to attack. I clicked through the computer until I figured out how to change the background to something less aggravating to the dog. The screen was now an ocean, which I also hadn't seen. I needed to focus now, and find out what I can about Layton Industries. I saw an icon with the label: Documents. I double clicked on the icon and a new page was brought up to my face. There were multiple more icons with various labels that I didn't understand. Floorplan, payroll, new location, and employee list. I clicked on floorplan and it showed me a document that had some sort of map on it. As I scrolled down it told me which floor I was on. Floor 1, floor 2, 3, 4 ,5, and so on.
    When I reached the final floor, I recognized something. It was the roof of the building. My building. My place. I didn't recognize it before because it looked all reorganized and new. There were more desks and rooms. Offices and the like. Then I realized that this was the map of the new Layton Tower. This was what they were doing. I kept scrolling down. "Estimated time of arrival: 36 hours." That meant they wanted to move fast. It would be less than 2 whole days before they fully moved in. Whatever I decided to do, I needed to do it fast. Suddenly another icon appeared on the screen. It was just a green circle with the letters G and L in it. I hovered the mouse over it and I saw 2 words appear. "George Layton." I didn't completely understand this computer but I knew that he must be viewing the same document. I immediately pressed the small red X in the corner, and the document disappeared.
    I was breathing heavily. Not much had happened, but it freaked me out. I didn't want to get caught. I didn't want that. Not at all. I couldn't get caught. No. I saw Blue beside me who could tell I was very nervous, and he pawed at my leg. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine." I told myself. I reached down and scratched his head a little bit. He sat down next to me and closed his eyes. I kept petting him and eventually I felt relaxed again. Well, mostly relaxed.
    After having a bit of food in the feeding room, I was ready to get back on the computer. I turned it on, and saw the screen light up once more with the words: Layton Industries. I clicked through the documents folder, and looked at the new location document. It said:
Dear Employees,
    Within 36 hours, we will be moving to a new location. Make sure you are packed up and ready by the time we leave. The address is: 20 W 34th St. It may take some time to get settled, but I, George Layton, can guarantee that moving will make this a more productive and efficient operation.
George Layton
    I went back to the documents page, and then opened payroll. There were just a bunch of large numbers I didn't understand, so I left and went to employee list. There was a list of about 30 names that went down 2 pages. The name at the top was George Layton.
    Suddenly I heard a loud noise outside. I stood up and looked out the window. There were a lot of people outside, getting out of a large black van. They all had guns and full body armor. On the chest there was one large word: Layton. He must have been tracking the computer! I needed to get out of there right now. I ran to the feeding room and gathered up all the food, and then motioned to Blue that we needed to go. Of course he didn't understand, but he would follow me anyway.
    I put all the food in a bag I found and ran out the back door. As I left, I heard the people break down the front door and search the house. I ran down the street with my dog, and charged towards the truck. If I could drive far enough away, they wouldn't be able to find me. I opened the doors as quietly as possible and got in. I lifted up my dog and put him in the passenger seat. The truck started and we started driving. As we left I saw a man in the Layton gear turn the corner and see me driving the truck. He shouted something inaudible and came towards us.
I drove down the road as long as I could, all around to the other side of the city. That's when I saw the bridge come into view. The bridge out of the city. No one had tried to leave since a fence was put up that prevented anyone from leaving or entering. But I had a truck. I decided at that moment that I was going to leave. I was getting out of this city. As the turn came up I started turning the steering wheel.
Within 5 minutes I had crashed through the fence and drove to the other side of the bridge. I felt a bump as I drove off and left the city. I could see the air become clearer.
I left Dust City.