Philadelphia was a dead city and it now had wild animals roaming. He didn’t want to end up as tiger shit. He looked over at the man driving. He’d not answered any of Flynn’s questions, just drove. They pulled up to a large building. They were on the back side of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Why they hell are we at a museum? He wondered. The man ordered him out and began to walk around the structure.
“Casper lives all over the city. He says he might as well enjoy it.” The man said.
“What’s he like?”
“He’s a good man. He’s helped a lot of us. He keeps order. You know, there would be more bullshit going on, if it weren’t for him. He and his bodyguards.”
“How in the hell can he be a good man if he skins people and won’t let others have food?” Flynn asked, unbelieving.
“Hey, it’s a brutal new world now. Only the strongest survive. We’re all survivors. He just makes sure it’s a level playing field. He’s not that bad, just listen to him. I think you’ll be surprised. He’s started cleaning up the city, getting rid of the bodies. You know burning them. It’s actually starting to get better. Not as nasty.” The man shrugged.
This guy is delusional, this place reeks, Flynn thought, but said nothing to the man. They entered the large structure. It was surprisingly cool in the interior. There was a strange smell, he wasn’t sure if it was stale air or the empty building and its contents. Ahead, Flynn saw a man, there were several candelabras around him and he was reading a book. His hair was a shock of pale gray hair and when he looked up, his eyes were milky. Then shock ran through Flynn’s body, like a live wire.
“Cramer? Is that you?” He croaked, his step faltering. The figure looked up and his head cocked oddly to the side, then swung back to the other side. He squinted and stood up, stepping forward.
“Flynn? You’re alive?” A broad smile split the man’s face and he rushed forward.
“You’re Casper?” Flynn asked in a small voice.
“Yeah. I died, or damned near. Rachael died, she died and rotted beside me. I’m a ghost now. Not really dead, but not really alive either.” He smiled oddly and shrugged. Flynn wasn’t sure he wanted to hug the man or run away. It was Cramer, but it wasn’t. The man before him had changed dramatically, in form, but also the essence of him. Had he gone insane?
“I’m glad you’re alive Cramer, I tried calling you, and Roger too. Then the cell service died, then the power went out.”
“Call me Casper, Cramer is no longer here. You didn’t try to come by? Me, I swung by Roger’s apartment. He’s dead. Everyone is dead, except for us. How do you like my city now?” Casper grinned, and it gave Flynn the willies.
“Well, I was leaving. I’m heading to someplace else, any place else. I’m going to try to find a place to live out there and maybe survive as a farmer.” Flynn wasn’t sure why he didn’t tell Cramer about going to the Amish, something warned him not to. The less Cramer knew about his plans, the better.
“Leaving? No, you can’t leave now Flynn, I need you. You have to stay here and help me keep Philadelphia. We got the food to last us for a long time. There ain’t many left here. I’ve been killing all the bad apples.” Casper said in a sing song voice and Flynn felt the hair raise up on his arm. Yes, something had changed in Cramer, something in his brain had died. He would not and could not trust this person in front of him.
“I’d like to Cram… Casper, but I’d really like to go. It makes me too sad, too depressed to live in this place. If I could just get some food, I could be gone.”
Casper’s face hardened and his milky eyes narrowed.
“Sorry, that’s just not going to happen. You’ll be staying here, with us. We need good people to hold onto this place. I stay where I want, but you can pick a place and live, here in the heart of things. I want you by my side. I need my friends near.” Casper said with a tone of finality. Behind Casper, two large men came out from the shadows. They were hulking figures and walked to stand behind Casper. Those must be Casper’s bodyguards the other man spoke of. They too looked like they’d survive the virus. Their skin was mottled, from old bruising, just as Casper’s was.
“We think you should stay; our friend Casper has asked you nicely.” One of the men smiled, a hand going to Casper’s shoulder.
“Yeah, Casper is a good man, with a good dream. We’re helping him and you should as well.” The other man said, his face pallid and blotched.
It must be the last vestiges of the busted capillaries. Flynn looked again at his friend, who was now a stranger before him. He didn’t want to stay here, he wanted out of this dead city. How could he get out of here without pissing this man off? He shivered a little, he’d have to figure something out. The food here would last only so long, perhaps a few years, then what? He’d be in the same situation, but with no transportation out of this place except by foot. Not to mention, there were wild animals around.
Should he go along with his old friend? Perhaps play along until he could get free of this city? He’d known no other home, no other way of life. If he were to stay here with his friend, he
