If I Ruled the World: Chapter Eight
Inside the hexagonal cities of Indiola Er, it is Heaven on Er, but outside is like living in Hell.
Need to Catch Up? Start Here.
All three, Klado, Mille, and Trudi, emerged on Indiola Er spread across the floor of an old, rundown apartment. The boxy room, a living room, had two doors and two windows, both on one side. One door, made of heavy metal, was locked with several deadbolts, the other, wooden and plain, opened to a hallway leading to other rooms. The windows, covered with thick curtains, darkened the room, but not enough to obscure the disgusting details. Mille wrinkled her nose—it also reeked of garbage.
Trudi wretched, covered her mouth, but to no avail. Thick sour tendrils of whatever was in her belly escaped through her fingers and settled into the already gross fibers of the rug. Was it the jump, the smell, or something else that made her nauseous? Mille hurried to assist her, but there was nothing she could use to help. A thick layer of grime covered everything: the tables, the sofas, the chairs, the tattered pillows.
“When was this place used last?” Mille asked.
Klado opened the curtain just enough to expose a sliver of daylight and peeked outside. “Travelers do not come here anymore.”
Trudi wiped her mouth on the bottom of her skirt. “Is this Indiola Er?”
Klado, with lips set in a firm, straight line, sighed, and said, “Yes, it is.”
“Where in Indiola? Are we in a city along the coast?” Mille asked.
“We are on the coast, but not inside a city.” Klado stole another look out the window. “We are in one of the many residences built into the city walls along the coastlines, where everyone outside waits for a space to free up inside.”
“How often does a space free up?” Trudi asked, her blue eyes glistening with excitement.
“A lottery offers a few slots annually—”
“That’s amazing! What’s it like inside a city?” Trudi’s eyes got even brighter.
Klado’s eyes widened, and their thin lips sculpted an unusual smile. “It is like heaven on Er.”
Mille wrinkled her nose. “That can’t be possible.” The other Er she had visited were all characterized by severe divides between rich and poor. “Are you saying there are no poor people inside the city, not even to do menial labor?”
Klado’s grey eyes narrowed. “The Directors find meaningful work for everyone inside their cities and each individual does what they do best.” They glanced at Trudi. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, entranced by their words. They returned their gaze to Mille. “Did you not know that there are people who enjoy caring for children, fixing things that are broken, and cleaning things that are dirty? Everyone, regardless, receives an ample salary that allows them to live full lives in the confines of their cities.” Then they shrugged their shoulders. “But Directors are scarce and cities have strict population limits, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded outside, waiting to win the lottery.”
Mille wiped the dust off her tunic and tights. They were no longer royal blue, but more resembled the dusky blue of Excella’s mountains and skies. “Why is that worse than Lierne? They have to wait, too. At least here we have a roof over our heads.”
Klado pointed to the highly secured door. “That is why.”
After hearing about the cities, Trudi insisted on leaving, though Klado warned her of the danger.
People outside the cities had substandard shelter and little food. They had no public education, no purposeful work, or any possibility of recreation besides the polluted beaches. To endure the sheer hopelessness, many, if not most, chose the numbing effect of substance abuse that escalated violence—robbery, rape, and murder.
Trudi would hear none of it. She was so convinced she would find acceptance and, indeed, adoration; she protested. How would she ever get into the city if she stayed hidden away in the apartment?
The only thing Klado could do for her was give her some skin cream to tan her pale complexion to match the olive tone of the people on Indiola Er. For that very reason, neither Klado nor Mille could accompany her; they dared not step out the door. Even the skin cream could not help them blend in. They would be a prime target for disgruntled individuals roaming the streets. Mille gave Trudi her Traveler’s armlet. Trudi understood Mille and Klado, but who knew what she would run into out there? At least the armlet would give her a chance to communicate.
As soon as Trudi left, Klado prepared to leave, but Mille begged them to wait.
“What if she changes her mind and comes back? She won’t be able to get back in and then she won’t have a place to stay.”
Klado frowned. “We should leave this place while we can.”
“Just one day, Klado. Please?”
While they waited, Mille made herself at home with preserved goods in the pantry and running water in the sink. An old refrigeration unit purred in the corner, but Klado advised her not to open it. They could not risk needing to open a window.
She cleaned off the table and set out a meal of black beans and yellow corn.
Klado pushed the beans around the plate with a fork. “Thank you, Mille.”
Mille’s pink cheeks flushed scarlet. It was the least she could do.
Klado met Mille’s eyes, opening their own as wide as they could. “Trudi will not find what she is looking for and there is nowhere else I can take her.”
“Couldn’t we take her to Lierne?”
“She is not a Scholar and Lierne is not open to refugees.”
“Maybe we could sneak her in,” Mille said, wrinkling her nose and making tiptoe movements with her fingers.
“Mille. This is serious.”
“Well, she could stay at the apartment and receive the Travelers when they come.” Mille lifted her plate with a wide grin. “She could make them meals.”
Klado picked up a piece of corn and stared at it. “That is highly unlikely.”
Later that evening, while Klado washed the dishes and Mille tidied the living room, there was a timid knock at the door.
Mille rushed to unlock it. “It’s Trudi!”
“Stop!” But Klado’s warning was too late. The door shot open with such force, Mille fell on her back as three powerful assailants stormed in and subdued her. Another remained outside the door, their arms locked around Trudi’s waist.
Trudi flailed helplessly in his grasp. “I’m sorry, Mille! They said they would help me get a blood test if I showed them where you lived!”
The noise brought Klado running in from the kitchen, but two thugs bolted up and slammed them on the floor. One smashed Klado’s head with something hard, over and over, until Klado finally fell still. All three then turned their wretched attention to Mille.
“Look,” one said. His vicious green eyes flashed like beacons in his rich olive skin. “Look at how pink she is.”
Another, looking much like their twin, asked, “Is she that color all over?”
Mille kicked and screamed as they ripped off her tights and dragged her out to the stairwell landing, all while laughing like hyenas. One of them, the one that struck Klado, got down on his knees in front of her. Mille shrieked and flailed in her assailant’s arms. He yelled at them to hold her still. Then Trudi spewed curses at him as he arched his body over Mille’s, a devious grin spreading across his face.
“No!” It was Klado. They stumbled into the stairwell, reached into their tunic, and let out a deafening roar as an enormous energy exploded out from the breastplate. The relentless waves rocked the walls, the stairs, the ceiling, and hurled the attackers down the stairs, knocking them out cold.
Mille too passed out, briefly, and when she came to, she saw Trudi lying at the bottom of the stairs with her back pressed against the far wall. Was she dead? Mille rushed to her side and pressed her fingers against her throat. She had a pulse. She would be okay, eventually. Then Mille looked up. Where was Klado? She ran up the stairs and found them lying in the hallway where the force of the explosion had thrown them. She checked for a heartbeat. There was none, and their skin felt clammy and cold.
“No! Klado, you can’t die!”
She tilted their head back and forced a breath into their mouth. Then she opened their tunic, moved the breastplate to one side, careful not to touch the buttons, and then gasped. The blast had pierced the thin skin and burst Klado’s heart, filling their chest cavity with blood.
She collapsed on Klado’s neck and moaned as a familiar sound of rushing wind filled her ears.
Publishing Update
I submitted a query to an agent last week! How about some encouragement?
Wow! What a dramatic cliffhanger. Looking forward to seeing how the story concludes... 😎
Keep us posted on the agent, Kim! I hope they really go for it!