The War In His Mind

Chapter 5

Abraham fell to the ground and wept. He had never felt sadness like this before. Sorrow overwhelmed him and circled in his heart. It crippled him. He felt like a traitor. Like worthless scum who only exists to upset the established order.

The dark figure, cloaked in black, appeared before him. "Abraham." He spoke in a powerful, yet quiet tone of voice that demanded attention.

Abraham dried his eyes.

"You're weary, Abraham."

"Who are you?"

The figure stood over him. "I sent you to see that for a reason... can you see it?"

Abraham shook his head from side to side.

"You will do many great things. You'll be a father to many great people. But first- you must fight."

"Why did you show me that?"

The figure turned around, facing away from Abraham. "It is impossible to face the future without knowing the past."

The figure walked around a corner. Abraham chased after it screaming "Wait! I need to ask..." but it was too late. He vanished. Could it be that it was in his code to resist this dictatorship? The figure was right- Abraham had to push forward. He had to fight. Had to find a way to get out of this place. Maybe, he thought, if he could get to Uptown he might be able to find a control panel where he can get an upper hand. Maybe there was a way to leave the city for good and start his own world.

Abraham stood outside of the corporate headquarters, and looked up at the dark sky above him. It was a solid roof, and all of the airships flying underneath it never even came close to it. Fantastic machines ran past them on the streets. Robotic horses pulled metallic looking carriages through the roads.

He never noticed any of this because he was always so high up in the tower. He didn't know why all of these people and fantastic machines were roaming freely, but he assumed that they all had a specific purpose. Everything here has a purpose. Unless, they are errors in the code too.

The thought excited him! What if he wasn't alone? What if there were other people in beings like him? If there were, how would he find out? Any hint of curiosity could lead to Thomas finding him and discovering he had been corrupted again.

In front of the corporate headquarters, was a grand hotel. He stepped inside of it, and discovered a lobby built with marble walls and shiny floors. The red carpet led up to the rooms. There is no front desk, as there was no money in this society.

He took an elevator up to a room towards the top. The entire floor was a thick red carpet, with a bed carved out in the middle. Surrounding the bad were four red pillars that went all the way up to the ceiling. At the top was a railing that held the drapes in place. He close the drapes around the bed, and crawled inside. It was dark. Quiet. He had time to think. He realized there was a piece of paper sticking out from his pocket. He pulled it out and discovered it was the map that he had before. He analyzed it, looking for entrances and exits in the city. There was one leading from the outside world to downtown, but remembered looking out the window at work and seeing that it was blocked off. He had to escape through uptown. It was the only chance.

The airships flying through the city often passed by the grand Hotel. Abraham remembered that they would often stop at the top of the hotel and pick up passengers. However, he did know the clearances that were required to get onto it. It had a passport? For the government officials? He didn't know. He wanted to find out.

***

He took the elevator up to the top of the building, and waited patiently for the airships to pass by. He could see one from the distance. He was fascinated with them. They were elegant, beautiful, and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be a pilot. He had thoughts of the joy that carried through the skies would bring. He imagined taking one of those airships and flying through the outside world. Up and down and faster and one can possibly imagine.

He realized he was smiling- a dangerous act for someone to do in Wonder City. Fear stirred inside of him, bundling in his chest. He forced himself to become stoic again. All it would take is one small error and somebody from the following rooftop would notice there is emotion on his face.

An airship passed close to the top of the building and shined its light past Abraham. He dashed behind a pillar praying silently to an unknown entity in the sky that he wouldn't be seen. He peered around and watched a single police man step off. The officer stood there for several minutes. It wasn't clear if he was waiting for another airship or patrolling the roof. Either way, he knew there is an opportunity to ambush him.

Near the elevator shaft, there was a tool bag filled with several nails, hammers, electric screwdrivers. Abraham grabbed several nails and threw them on the ground towards the officer. Alarmed, the officer drew his gun. While remaining hidden, Abraham picked up the electric screwdriver next and waited patiently for the officer to come near.

His heart beat rose dramatically. Sweat poured out of his face and into his eyes. He squeezed them shut to stop it. He could here the officer's footsteps getting louder.

Step-by-step, Abraham began to panic.

He clutched the screwdriver so tightly that he worried he would break it.

As the officer came around the corner, Abraham grabbed him. He placed his arm around his neck, took the screwdriver, and shoved it inside the officers skull. He shoved it with all of his might and twisted it up and down, tearing the gray matter inside of his head into several smaller pieces.

Blood spurted into the air as the officer's muffled screams bounced off Abraham's hand. Abraham fought back by pressing harder against his lips.

It was the first time he had ever killed anyone. He imagined the horror and pain the was in. He imagined that it was himself in that position. He could feel the drill going through his brain. Every nerve shattering as the rotating metal ripped through his brain matter.

Abraham dropped the body, now lifeless, on the ground. Blood pooled every where, yet only a little bit got on the uniform. Abraham cried. His tears made it difficult to see what was in front of him. The body, completely limp, held the uniform in its place.

Abraham carefully unbuttoned the suit from the body. It was clean, well ironed, and didn't have much blood on it. With a bit of spit and a rag in the left pocked, the stain came right out.