《The Walled City》


 Chapter One: The city of Skit

    The city of Skit wasn¡¯t always the metropolis it is today. In 2173, the city was a military base known as Wang Guan during World War Three. The Chinese used the small area within the United States as a base of operations. Due to the areas close relation to the sea and commonly used trade routes, the Eastern powers were able to gain an advantage in the war and take control of over half of North America. It wasn¡¯t until two years later, when the last remnants of the Western powers released a new gaseous weapon, that the base was abandoned. Over the years, the base was built and transformed by the few who dared to live in the area. Many of the original residents were those who had fled from the war as refugees and due to the lack of law enforcement, anarchy reigned. Countries began to rebuild after the war, but the city of Skit was left to its own devices. The city managed to fall between the new border of the United States and China which now controlled one third of the United States. Neither country wanted to initiate a fight over the small city so it was left as the only neutral zone in the area. Thanks to the lack of law enforcement and easy access to both countries, many companies set up their own subsidiaries within the area. Of course illegal businesses spread throughout the city as well. Prostitution, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and any other crime imaginable became prolific within the city walls. Due to the small limitations of the area, many people began building up instead of out and soon towering skyscrapers filled the city limits. Many wonder about the origins of the new name of the city, but one story most accept as true. The Prime Minister of Sweden held a press conference on the city a few years after the war and called it skit in disgust. The residents of the city found it hilarious and quickly began calling the city Skit and the name stuck until this day.


    Today in 2217, the city has skyscrapers looming above the city. Many reach above sixty floors tall with businesses and apartments filling each one. The quality of each building varies greatly. Some appear to be built with pieces of scrap wood and others of high quality steel and glass. The further towards the city limits the buildings get, the more shoddily built they appear. This has been due to the wealthy wanting their businesses difficult to access and with easy access to most of the city. A series of walkways exist between all the buildings with many at different levels. This allows the residents to travel throughout the city without ever having to touch the ground. In the center of the city lies one of the largest skyscrapers in the world. It is an amazing 121 stories tall and was built in such a way that the building almost appears to be nonexistent due to how reflective the glass of the exterior is. On the penthouse floor lives the Lichminoff family.


    ¡°Where are you headed off to this late?¡± The younger Lichminoff twin, Fera, hissed at her brother Dick who was trying to put on his thin jacket in the dark. Fera had stumbled up out of bed after hearing shuffling in the other room only to see her twin brother trying to leave the apartment in the middle of the night. After finally getting his arm into the left sleeve, Dick whispered back to his sister¡¯s outline, ¡°Just some late night business. Go back to bed.¡± Fera¡¯s brow furrowed in anger, ¡°Fuck off, you shouldn¡¯t go out without a bodyguard. I don¡¯t want to see you in a hospital again.¡± Dick ignored his sister and began slipping on his nearest pair of shoes, a spotless pair of expensive brown dress shoes. Fera shuffled her way over to her brother as quickly as possible, making sure to dodge the many pieces of furniture hidden by the darkness. ¡°Please don¡¯t go out again.¡± She whispered to him in a last effort to keep him in the apartment, but he stood up and opened the door. Light flooded into the dark apartment from the hallway and Dick looked back at his sister. His sunken eyes and cheeks made him look as if he hadn¡¯t eaten or slept for days. A few receding bruises were visible on the left side of his face and his hair was tied up in the messy bun he kept for the last few years. He smiled lightly at Fera and said, ¡°I¡¯ll only be gone a few hours this time. No new injuries, I promise.¡± With that he shut the large wooden door, leaving Fera alone in the dark room.


    Dick made his way to the elevator and was greeted by the many buttons on both sides of the elevator. Even though there were only 121 floors above ground on the skyscraper there were many more below it. The buttons surpassed 200 and Dick hit the button labeled ¡®G35¡¯. The elevator whirred to life and shot straight down, but Dick wasn¡¯t unnerved by the fast drop. He had pulled out his cell phone and was viewing his recent bank account activity. There were two constants on the summary. A deposit every week of twenty-thousand dollars and a withdrawal a day later of all twenty-thousand. Even with all the withdrawals his account still had over two-hundred thousand inside and a deposit had just been placed into the account the day before for twenty-thousand. The elevator bell brought Dick¡¯s attention away from his phone which he put back into his front pocket as the elevator doors opened. He stepped out into a drastically different hallway from the one he came from. The hallway on this floor was dimly lit with flickering lights and kerosene lanterns. It was obvious that electricity wasn¡¯t readily available on this floor of the building. The walls were simply packed dirty and reinforced concrete. Doorways littered the hallway although only about half had actual door. Many others were simply covered by curtains or wood boards.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Dick pulled the black hood of his sweater over his head before making his way down the hallway. He only passed a few people, but they kept their heads down and kept walking, similar to him. The hallway seemed endless as Dick walked down the weaving hallway until he eventually reached a wide open area. The ceiling was only a few feet above his head, but the room was large. It went around in a huge circle with stores lining the walls. This area was lit similarly to the hallway he took there, but many more people were mingling around. Quite a few of the residents in the area were openly smoking a drug that smelled very similar to crack and others were passed out on the ground in a drug induced stupor. Women and men alike were standing outside a store front, some with and some without clothing, all offering their services for the night.


    Dick quickly made his way over to the far end of the room. He carefully stepped over a body on the floor lying in a pool of blood. This sight was commonplace in lower levels of the city. Only the laws of the gangs existed below the ground. The small shop he was heading towards was just a hole in the wall with curtains for doors. A bright red and blue neon sign was placed above the shop, but only the red lights were still intact casting a red glow around the area of the shop. Back when the sign was complete it said ¡®Underground Pharma¡¯, but ¡®Underground¡¯ was all that was left now. Shadows of a few people could be seen within the shop, but Dick ignored them and walked straight in. The room was simple. Seating was not available for customers indicating long visits were not welcome and a dark, wooden counter spanned the width of the back of the store. The two customers glanced back at him before quickly turning back around to finish their transaction. ¡°I¡¯ll see you two in a week.¡± The guy behind the counter gave his farewell as the two customers left the shop. Noticing Dick, the guys face lit up. ¡°Dick? Good to see you back on your feet!¡± The owner, a very thin, gaunt man, greeted Dick as he approached the counter. His shaved head seemed to reflect the glass jars that lined the shelf behind him. His eyes almost appeared pitch black thanks to the poor lighting in the room.


    Dick nodded at the man and responded, ¡°Hey Jerry, How¡¯s business been?¡± At that, Jerry¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°Not great. Those fuckwits in that new gang are starting to sell in our territory. If this keeps up we may be going to war. That¡¯s the last thing we need with the restructuring looming over all of us.¡± As he was saying this, Jerry was pulling down a variety of jars from behind him. ¡°Did you want the usual?¡± Jerry asked, placing a few jars in front of Dick. ¡°Of course.¡± Dick smiled, but paused in thought. ¡°Add some coke to that as well.¡± Jerry hesitated before asking, ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Dick reached into his right pocket and pulled out a wad of multi-colored bills and placed them on the counter. ¡°Just get the drugs.¡± Jerry sighed, ¡°Fine, fine¡­Come with me.¡± Jerry walked into the back room that was once again covered with only curtains and Dick followed with an almost hidden smile.

 Chapter 2: The Past

    The back room was lit by a combination of a swinging gas lamp and a variety of melting candles. In the middle of the room was a small side table with two chairs, one on either side. Dick walked up and sat in the large, worn leather chair on the left side. This was his usual spot although he had not been down here for a few weeks. He shimmied back and forth hearing the familiar creaks of the chairs legs against the floor. Floor to ceiling shelves lined the room, each one filled with a variety of jars and bags. The colorful cascade of drugs and paraphernalia was a sight even more exciting to Dick than the nude models he helped cast in a new film the other day.


    ¡°How has your sister been? Does she know that you¡¯re down here again?¡± Jerry¡¯s voice echoed out from the labyrinth of shelves. Dick glared back at the direction of the voice and muttered, ¡°She caught me leaving, but I don¡¯t think she knows I¡¯m using again.¡± Jerry scoffed and walked out from between the shelves holding a thin bottle filled with blue rocks. ¡°If you ever need to say she doesn¡¯t know, your sister knew days ago. She¡¯s much smarter than your dumb ass gives her credit for.¡± Dick lazily aimed a kick at Jerry¡¯s shin, but Jerry quickly hopped out of the way. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here for help with my personal life.¡± Dick sounded angry but a familiar smile was shared between him and Jerry.


    Jerry cautiously sat down opposite Dick, being careful of any other attacks heading his way before replying. ¡°I know that¡¯s not why you came, but you always seem to need it.¡± Dick folded his arms and returned Jerry¡¯s stare, ¡°I have my personal matters under control for once. I¡¯m back at college taking a full course load and have found a job within the company I can handle at the same time. I have more money than I could hope to spend. I have friends in all corners of the world. I have everything someone in this city could want.¡± Jerry opened the small bottle and dropped a few small, blue rocks onto the table. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Jerry asked sadly looking back over at Dick.


    Dick looked down at the tempting blue rocks and wasn¡¯t able to process the question at first. The ability to feel normal once more was right in front of him. It was a feeling he hadn¡¯t experienced for the last two weeks. It was captivating. The squeak of Dick¡¯s chair brought him back to reality and he glanced back up at Jerry before answering the question. ¡°I¡¯m¡­.not sure. I thought I was past this, all of this.¡± Dick began glancing around the room anxiously. He began rocking back and forth mumbling, ¡°Why¡­Why¡­Why..¡± Jerry just sighed and bottled up the Blue once more. He reached over to touch Dick¡¯s shoulder, but Dick immediately slapped it away. ¡°My business is to sell drugs. It always has been, but I think you¡¯re going to be the first customer I cut off from my shop.¡± At Jerry¡¯s words, Dick stopped rocking and looked up. Fright and confusion were clear in his expression. Suddenly his sunken cheeks and hollow eyes appeared even more pronounced by the flickering candlelight. Just as Dick was about to collapse even further, Fera stormed into the room. She had changed into a light blue tracksuit that she usually wore when exercising. Her hair was dark brown and slightly curly although it appeared jet black in the poorly lit room. ¡°I knew you would be here you dickbag!¡± Her anger was clear and with just a few strides she reached Dick who was hunched over in his chair. ¡°Hello Fera, You¡¯re looking fine as always.¡± Jerry offered her a smile while sliding the blue rocks into his jacket pocket. ¡°Shut the fuck up! I don¡¯t want to hear anything from you right now.¡± She managed to yell this in response while helping Dick up from the chair. Dick reluctantly stood up and softly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t take anything, I promise.¡± Fera began leading Dick to the exit, ¡°I know. If you had I would have left you behind.¡± Dick regained his composure a bit and began walking on his own once more.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Once the two had reached the penthouse once more they stopped right before walking in. Dick looked at Fera who still appeared to be livid. He knew it would be a while before they would speak normally again. ¡°What were you thinking?¡± Fera said in disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to convince me you were just visiting. I saw the Blue on the table.¡± Dick just looked sheepishly at her before shrugging slightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think a small amount would hurt. I feel like I¡¯ve gotten my issues under control.¡± Dick said this although neither one of them believed it. Fera¡¯s anger turned into frustration at his answer. ¡°It¡¯s only been two weeks since you came back from rehab! You destroyed your life and many others with your addiction up to this point! You lost Sarah due to your fucking idiotic actions! There is no level of ¡®under control¡¯ that would allow you to take even one more of those rocks.¡± Dick was getting angry now too and he responded in kind, ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare bring up Sarah! I¡¯ve lost hours of sleep over what happened. Every day I wish I could have taken her place. She was the only good thing left in this city.¡± Dick¡¯s anger slowly turned into despair as memories of the past began returning. Fera just looked sadly back at Dick, ¡°That¡¯s the other issue. You¡¯ve always been terrible at seeing the good in your own life. Please don¡¯t go back down there. You can hate me if you want. Blame me for all your issues, but please do this one thing. For me.¡± Dick looked at his twin sister. She looked tired. Very tired. He looked down at the ground and kicked a pebble that was tracked up from the lower level. It only skipped a few feet before clacking against the opposite wall. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t go back.¡± Dick eventually responded. Fera hugged him lightly. Dick laid his head on her shoulder and they remained that way for a while. ¡°Thanks,¡± Dick said right before they went back inside. Fera just gave him a light smile back while opening the door back into their dark apartment.