The Mountain and The City: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale by Brian Martinez Page A
Authors: Brian Martinez
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Knees knock against each other and my Hand shakes the Rail. My Head is so heavy I find myself looking at the Stair in front of me with a sound like Trees in my Ears, when their Leaves are frightened by the Voice of the Outside.
I don't hear Child come back down, but suddenly her face is blocking my view of the Stair.
“Can make it.”
“You don't know how this feels. You were too young when it happened to you. It's like walking through Fire.”
I squeeze my Eyes shut and the whole World shivers around me. I'm back in the rushing Water, drowning in the black that pulls me down into the nothing at the center of the Mountain. It's the Voice of the Death, a perfect hunter, a voice even Time is afraid of. Then, out of the dark, I feel a hand on my Face.
“No fire.”
I open my Eyes.
“No fire.” It feels good, so I say it again.
She takes my Hand from the Rail. I find the next Step and then the next. She leads me the rest of the way.
The top Floor is one room but it has only one Desk that I can see from the Hall. It's a bigger Desk, though, a nicer Desk, like how the Munies give their best Supplies to the largest of the group.
The Wall holds me up on one side, Child on the other. I tell her to bring me to the Red Couch so I can lay down for a while before we explore. When we shuffle through the Door, the Couch is all the way against the left Wall. I point it out to her since she probably doesn't know what one is. Her small body holds my weight long enough to reach it, and I try to sit slowly to keep from making noise but end up falling into it. Dust breathes into the Air.
She helps me turn over onto my Back, then get my Legs up.
“You here?”
“Yes, I'm still here.” My Lungs burn with every word.
She shakes her head. “Here before?”
I look around the Room. It seems built for one Real Person. “I don't think so.”
She eyes with me with a curious look. Instead of explaining herself she runs off and checks the Room. I can't do anything but lay on the Red Couch with my Eyes closed and listen to her move, hoping she finds what she's looking for.
**
I'm standing in a metal box. Round buttons on the wall take turns lighting, each with a number at the center. The light starts at the number one, then moves to two, then three. I feel pressure in my ears and I believe the metal box is moving but I'm not sure which way. There's a rug under my feet covered in bright, blue flowers. I like the way the flowers are connected by a swirling, green vine that runs wild across the rug, and I rub the vine with my foot but it doesn't move. It's only a picture of flowers.
My hand reaches out to touch the light, now behind the number six, but a second hand appears and grabs mine by the wrist. The grip is strong but doesn't hurt. It isn't meant to be cruel or vicious, only to stop my hand, and the hand is larger than mine, thin, with long fingers painted apple red at the tips.
My mother is next to me in the metal box. She lets go of my hand and her eyes are red. I hope it isn't because I wanted to touch the light, but the more I look at her the more I see it's not. The red has been there for a while.
She reaches out and grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me in close. I don't know what she's telling me but the brown in her eyes is becoming blurry.
Number twelve lights up.
She points a finger at me. Her eyes are getting blurrier and her face looks wrinkled but she keeps talking. She's telling me something important, something serious. The number fourteen lights up and the metal box slows down. I know it slows down because I feel it in my ears. She moves the hair out of my face and tries to smile.
Number fifteen. She stands up straight and wipes her eyes. The fear disappears from her face, making her a completely different person. The change is fast and complete.
Number sixteen.
The metal box stops. The Door slides open.
**
I don't know how long my Eyes have been closed but the Sun is
I don't hear Child come back down, but suddenly her face is blocking my view of the Stair.
“Can make it.”
“You don't know how this feels. You were too young when it happened to you. It's like walking through Fire.”
I squeeze my Eyes shut and the whole World shivers around me. I'm back in the rushing Water, drowning in the black that pulls me down into the nothing at the center of the Mountain. It's the Voice of the Death, a perfect hunter, a voice even Time is afraid of. Then, out of the dark, I feel a hand on my Face.
“No fire.”
I open my Eyes.
“No fire.” It feels good, so I say it again.
She takes my Hand from the Rail. I find the next Step and then the next. She leads me the rest of the way.
The top Floor is one room but it has only one Desk that I can see from the Hall. It's a bigger Desk, though, a nicer Desk, like how the Munies give their best Supplies to the largest of the group.
The Wall holds me up on one side, Child on the other. I tell her to bring me to the Red Couch so I can lay down for a while before we explore. When we shuffle through the Door, the Couch is all the way against the left Wall. I point it out to her since she probably doesn't know what one is. Her small body holds my weight long enough to reach it, and I try to sit slowly to keep from making noise but end up falling into it. Dust breathes into the Air.
She helps me turn over onto my Back, then get my Legs up.
“You here?”
“Yes, I'm still here.” My Lungs burn with every word.
She shakes her head. “Here before?”
I look around the Room. It seems built for one Real Person. “I don't think so.”
She eyes with me with a curious look. Instead of explaining herself she runs off and checks the Room. I can't do anything but lay on the Red Couch with my Eyes closed and listen to her move, hoping she finds what she's looking for.
**
I'm standing in a metal box. Round buttons on the wall take turns lighting, each with a number at the center. The light starts at the number one, then moves to two, then three. I feel pressure in my ears and I believe the metal box is moving but I'm not sure which way. There's a rug under my feet covered in bright, blue flowers. I like the way the flowers are connected by a swirling, green vine that runs wild across the rug, and I rub the vine with my foot but it doesn't move. It's only a picture of flowers.
My hand reaches out to touch the light, now behind the number six, but a second hand appears and grabs mine by the wrist. The grip is strong but doesn't hurt. It isn't meant to be cruel or vicious, only to stop my hand, and the hand is larger than mine, thin, with long fingers painted apple red at the tips.
My mother is next to me in the metal box. She lets go of my hand and her eyes are red. I hope it isn't because I wanted to touch the light, but the more I look at her the more I see it's not. The red has been there for a while.
She reaches out and grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me in close. I don't know what she's telling me but the brown in her eyes is becoming blurry.
Number twelve lights up.
She points a finger at me. Her eyes are getting blurrier and her face looks wrinkled but she keeps talking. She's telling me something important, something serious. The number fourteen lights up and the metal box slows down. I know it slows down because I feel it in my ears. She moves the hair out of my face and tries to smile.
Number fifteen. She stands up straight and wipes her eyes. The fear disappears from her face, making her a completely different person. The change is fast and complete.
Number sixteen.
The metal box stops. The Door slides open.
**
I don't know how long my Eyes have been closed but the Sun is
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