We leave smokestacks and poverty in the distance as we make our way into a small forest. It’s the first piece of real nature that I’ve seen in my life. Plants don’t survive in the harsh environment of the Outer Limits. If it does, it’s always brown. These plants, however, look well-tended. Thick leaves scrape along the top and sides of the carriage. The foliage is vast and variant. I look through the glass covering our heads, but can’t see the sky above the canopy. Moisture drips down the windows and I can hear birds chirping in the distance.
We slow down as we approach a guard post. In front of us is a large dome, reaching as high as I can see. The Aedox opens his window, reaches out to a keypad, and types in a code, then closes the window and double checks the seals around the vehicle using a diagnostic panel in front of him. A hidden entrance in the dome opens and we move forward, the entrance quickly closing behind us. Each carriage has to stop at the post and punch in their own code before the gates will open, so the process to move all twenty into the tiny holding area is tedious. Once everyone is in, another gate opens, allowing us access into the Dead Zone.
I always thought the stories of this area were created to scare us. I had no idea that it actually existed. No one knows exactly who bombed this location, or even when the dome was placed on top of it to prevent the radiation from escaping into Tarsus and the Outer Limits. The only thing ever told to us was that there was a great war many years ago, perhaps more than one hundred. The country was sent into a small dark ages after the war, which led to the loss of all our historical records. The Dead Zone is so polluted with radiation from the nuclear fallout after the bombs fell that it had to be capped. The dome rises at least three miles high.
I’m in awe of the destruction. Homes blown into splinters, while other structures have melted, or are burned beyond recognition. The land is covered in debris. The only clean space is where the carriages are traveling. It’s almost like time stopped here, perfectly preserving the moment that millions of lives came to an end. I’m sure having the dome is helping in that preservation, since fresh air can’t get in and deteriorate the materials. We turn the corner and pass an old style crane holding the façade of a home. The rest of the house is gone.
Brink nudges me in the side and points above our heads. A small spider-like apparatus hovers overhead, then flies off. Two more enter our field of vision, then move away. I look off and see several more of the devices close to the ground far off in the distance.
“What are those things?” Brink asks, as one comes awfully close to the carriage.
“Drones,” the Aedox in front of me responds. “We have to closely monitor the Dead Zone for any violators who may be trying to hide here.”
“People can actually get into this place?” I ask.
“Unfortunately, yes. We usually don’t find them until they’ve succumbed to radiation poisoning. At which point, we just leave the body where it fell. No reason to get it if they were dumb enough to enter.”
An hour later and the Aedox tell us we’re half-way through. My ass has gone numb from sitting on the metal bench. I try and adjust my position, but it’s no use, my body is starting to ache everywhere. I actually find myself leaning on Brink’s shoulder. He puts his arm around me and pulls me in against him. He doesn’t try anything, which actually still bothers me since this is not his true nature.
My eyes hurt from the sun’s rays that are filtering in through the dome. I’ve never see so much sunlight before, since the air in the Outer Limits is extremely polluted. I adjust my head so it’s not pointing up, to where I’m looking out the front windshield. A building in the distance catches my eye, mainly because it’s the only one still standing. It’s constructed out of metal and purple tinted windows, and is intact. It stands fifty stories high and is in the shape of a squared soda bottle with a pointed roof. Just below the roofline is a sign in large looming letters, also perfectly intact. The word “Pentras” hangs solidly against the structure. We pass the building on our right and I see the sign is on this side, and the back.
“What is that?” I ask.
“A building, Max,” the Aedox in front responds, laughing a little.
“Thanks, smartass, but why isn’t it damaged? Everything around it has been obliterated, but it stands perfectly unscathed.”
“Ever think that maybe it was built after the bombing?” the Aedox to his right says.
I hadn’t thought of that. I just assumed that once the fallout occurred, the dome was placed immediately. Would they have let the Dead Zone be re-inhabited just after a nuclear war? Is that why the new community is being called Pentras? I want to ask more questions, but I know that would be pushing it. I’m surprised that the Aedox actually answered the ones we did ask. That’s not like them.
Am I being paranoid, or is everyone acting out of character lately? Brink has stopped harassing me, Vernon gave away my hiding spot, and now the Aedox are allowing us to speak freely. Is something else going
