Free Monthly #17 Melani: The Keep

A selection from 21st Century Short Stories

Introduction

This is, dare I say it with any air of finality, the final short story for Melani. Unfortunately, all good runs must come to an end. We saw in the last short story Agent Melvin found Melani and arrested her and her friends. This time, we see where this “new reservation” is and what is so special about it. Melani is a contemporary to Tory, the main character of Emergence, in many ways. You can preorder/order Emergence here if you are interested in what happened to the bright Abnormals before Melani’s time (note Tory is far older than Melani is as Emergence takes place shortly after this short story!)

21st Century Short Stories | Melani: The Keep

We were in the back of a truck for over an hour as it hurried through the grassy prairie. We were developing bruises as we slammed into one another and into the truck as the vehicle seemed to turn to hit every single bump imaginable at top speed. The vehicle screeched to a halt and the men who had bound us up opened the back of the truck and yelled at us to get out.

When we made our way out, we saw the sun had raised high above the fence line as we were in the truck. There was ongoing construction all around us and we were spun around to face a large structure that stretched high up into the sky. The black and gray of the building coalesced into an aggressive architecture that made my skin crawl with unease. At the top, there were several crews moving something held by a crane into place.

“Special Agent Melvin! Glad you could make it back. You will be getting some rewards after all of this.” A disembodied voice of a woman emanated from the noise behind us.

“I am just doing my duty keeping the people safe. That is what our purpose here is right? To keep all safe?”

“Well, yes, but—” the voice paused as the person came into view. She was an older looking woman of Asian descent. Her long gray hair was unkempt, and she looked as if she had not slept for several days. “These are the escapees?”

“Take these people to their cells. Let them see their family.” Agent Melvin ordered. We were pushed past him as he turned to speak with the woman directly, “Lily, I have to admit. I am impressed with the speed of this project. Pretty soon the Keep will be usable as a weapon. I expect this test site will prove invaluable to your future presidency.”

“I would hope so.” Lily replied with enthusiasm that sounded as if it was stretched thin to me.

I could not hear what else was said as we were guided into the entrance of the building, through the long entrance way and then to a staircase that led down to a large room below the tower. There were cages throughout the room, and we were unceremoniously hauled into separate cages that were near our loved ones. I saw my mother and father looking at me with both hatred and curiosity. They knew why they were here, and they were also curious on what had happened to me. I could not look them in the eye.

The taller of the two guards who had put me in my cell spoke, “You will find the accommodations here to be everything you deserve.”

“I’m afraid I do not understand.”

“You are an Abnormal, and you will be taken care of. But, your privileges of space, outdoors, and unapproved items that were used in your escape, have all been revoked. From here on out, you are going to be receiving precisely what the All-Seeing Eyes deem to be appropriate, as mandated by law.”

“You can’t do that!” I shouted back at him. All the guard did was laugh.

“I cannot. However, the Absolutists have rendered their decision, and it is their right provided by the All-Seeing Eyes. You are to live here where you cannot cause any further raucous until further noticed.”

“We have rights you know!”

“Not that many.” The voice of the Asian woman, Lily, interrupted the man’s laughter. “That will be all Ed. Go and help Agent Melvin.”

“Yes ma’am.” The man saluted and departed. Lily turned to look at me. Her eyes lingered on my dirt riddled hair and thin physique. When she finally looked at me squarely, I gave her my greatest of charming smiles. Perhaps I could get her to show sympathy. Her expression did not budge one iota and I let the façade fall.

“Your charm will not work on someone who has seen far greater attempts to sway me.”

“Who are you?”

“I am the one who has to sort out what to do with you, with all Abnormals in North America.”

“So, you built this prison.”

She grimaced, “I did not think it was necessary, but I am not the decision maker and nor is it my place to make such decisions. The Absolutists believed it to be necessary to construct the Keep as a means to ensure our safety from Abnormals, and I am tasked with carrying those beliefs into reality.”

“You’re just a henchman then. Sorry, I mean henchwoman.”

She shrugged and looked around. She stepped closer to me and continued, “I am working on a way to get all of you out of here, but I cannot make promises. You do not belong in cells below the ground like this. It is a step too far that many of the people in North America would not agree with. There were issues with the sterilizations and that sowed some permanent dissention that the Absolutists are still working to repair. You will need to be patient.”

“Patient?” I said scornfully and she sighed. I relented a little. She did seem to be sincere albeit in a convoluted way. “What can you do to help us?”

“Well, for as long as I am assigned to this project, I will keep Melvin and his cronies from torturing you. That is his pastime.”

“Torture?” My voice increased in volume and pitch.

“Yes. Before I arrived, he was torturing your parents. They did not know anything, so I put an end to it.”

“WHAT?!” I shouted, outraged that such a thing had happened. No wonder my parents were upset with me.

“Keep your voice down Melani.” Lily glanced around to ensure no one was going to eavesdrop. “I am working on a way to make this captivity more bearable for you.”

“Why? Why do you care?” I said with venom in my voice. “After all, we are all just Abnormals aren’t we? Scum of the earth?”

“You only know what you have been told and taught by those around you. Have you ever met someone who was not Abnormal or a guard where you lived?”

“No.”

“Then believe me when I say, we are not as cold as you might think.”

“I don’t.” My defiant rejection made her pause for a long moment.

“Melani. Do you want a chance to live outside again?”

“I want a chance to be free.”

“Then I need you to do something for me. Put your talents to good use.” I scowled and said nothing, so she went on. “I am setting up communal times for people to be able to exercise and speak to one another and not just their cellmates. I need you to speak to everyone. Tell them I am working on a way to get you all back out again. All you need to do is keep your spirits up. All you need to do is hope. Deliverance is closer than you think.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?” I asked curiously. “What deliverance can you offer?”

“Besides death?” She said as she grabbed something from her pocket. She pressed the button and the screen on her wristphone went dead on her other arm. “Small EMP. We have a minute to speak candidly.”

“I thought we were.”

“I was laying the foundation to lead you on so that anyone listening in on the microphones and on my wristphone would think I am as cruel as that Melvin. Deliverance is far from coming anytime soon. The Absolutist grip on North America is too strong at the moment. I am doing what I can. There are rumors of some resistance organizations.”

“What then? What do you want to say? What do you want from me if we can’t be free?”

“There is an uprising in South America. There are rumblings that there is a mysterious global organization that is seeking to undermine our order. The Absolutists. The All-Seeing Eyes. All of it. I intend to find a way to work with them.”

“How does that make our situation here better?”

“It makes it possible that you can be set free.”

“Why should I take your word for it?”

“You can’t. You shouldn’t. But you need hope. Don’t lose it.”

I stepped back and studied her face. She seemed to be genuine. Her words seemed to be sincere. How could I trust her though? What made everything worse was the fact that she was right. Hope was necessary for our survival. I looked around and saw a hopeless situation.

Hope would be necessary to carry on in the cells below the tower, the Keep they called it. They wanted to keep us away from society. To make people feel safe. It made me wonder what else they would do. Would they kill us? Would Lily find a way to stop them? Was she actually in on the whole scheme and finding ways to give us hope so that she and Melvin could crush it time and time again?

Before I could answer her, a green LED lit up on the device she used and the screen of her wristphone came back up. I opened my mouth and shut it again; unsure of how to ask the question I thought would give me clarity. “Death.”

“Huh?” I said stupidly. Then, I remembered what she had said before her EMP. “Why death?”

“Death is your only escape now.” The elderly woman strode away.

Several hours went by as I spoke to my parents who chastised me, and I apologized for everything they had gone through. The lights dimmed and everyone began to lay down on their cots and go to sleep. I could not find sleep and did not know what time it was. Three figures with lights began to move through the underground prison to inspect every cell. When they made it to my cell, I saw Melvin was among the men. He glowered at me and then an evil grin swept his face. He motioned to the others, and they opened my parent’s cell and gagged them before they woke up.

I looked on in horror as my parents were dragged out to either side of Melvin and he procured a knife. His voice was a hiss.“One word from you, one peep or whimper or anything and I will slit your throat, Melani.”

I shook my head as I watched, and he slid the knife down across the backs of both my parents. He cut through their clothes and continued to cut into their skin as he ignored the pained reactions of my parents. When he finished, he ordered them to be turned toward me and I saw what he had carved into the skin on their backs.  I saw what he had carved into the skin on their backs and my stomach fell. My mother’s back had “blame” carved three times. My father’s back said “Melani” three times. I put my hands over my mouth as an involuntary cry of anger and frustration and pain came to me.

They were tossed back into their cell and allowed to ungag themselves. My mother used hers to clean their backs. Melvin stepped closer to the cell, and I remained fixed to where I was, not bothering to look at Melvin as I watched my parents cope with their pain. “This is all your fault Melani. The entirety of this is your fault. Everything that happens to these people is because of your actions. You have a track record of being disobedient. I will make sure you do not forget what it costs.”

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