The tall dead Warden’s clothes were much too big, but the other dead Wardens’ clothes were a touch too small. The pants that fit the best revealed his muddy socks and ankles. The button-up top clung to Liam’s chest, squeezing him so tightly he felt as if he could not breathe.
Maybe, Liam thought to himself, the shirt was not the cause of his asphyxiation. Maybe it was the city. His only human interaction had been with Fable for so long, and while she was more than enough, the Chicago settlement was a nightmarish distant memory from the worst day of his life. It felt odd to be back in the city, and wrong to be back without Fable.
No matter the reason, he felt as if the air was being squeezed from his lungs and his organs were being twisted and harvested from within. He thought about his books that detailed Chicago’s history, trying to picture the maps inside of them and figure out where he was going. He looked for familiar landmarks from his books, his memories, or from Fable’s stories, but didn’t find any. His heart drummed a furious rhythm against his ribs as anger and fear swirled within. Damn his nerves. He was doing well to still be standing upright and walking in a straight line at this rate. He straightened his back and relaxed his clenched jaw as he approached a couple of young Wardens walking down a fragmented sidewalk.
He thought of how quickly he could end them with just one touch, how nice it would feel to have a small bit of revenge. But revenge couldn’t bring Fable back. Playing it cool could.
Liam took a deep breath and let it out slowly before rushing over to the pair.
“Hello,” Liam waved. He kept his free hand in his pocket. He’d have to be careful not to touch anyone while out and about, or his secret would be exposed.
The two Wardens didn’t look a day older than 18. The teenage girl offered Liam a wide-eyed smile while the teen boy eyed him suspiciously.
“Need something?” the boy asked.
“Excuse me,” Liam said. “There has been an emergency, and I’m a bit lost.”
“Why are you wearing our uniform?” the boy asked, looking Liam up and down.
“This is my uniform,” Liam said.
“Haven’t seen you around before.”
“Oh, well, you wouldn’t have.” Liam lied. “I’ve been transferred over from the Indianapolis settlement.”
The girl smiled at him, and he noticed dark freckles on her cheeks. “Ah, I’m from Indianapolis, too.”
Liam bit his lip, then tried to hide his panic under a blasé expression.
“I moved here with my dad when I was just a toddler. He was a Warden, and now I’m following in his footsteps.”
A relieved chuckle escaped Liam’s lips. “That’s wonderful. Looks like he led you to an honorable profession.” Liam wanted to gag on his own words.
“Honorable, indeed,” the boy said, taking a step closer to Liam. He looked over his uniform with scrutiny, noticing the wrinkles, dirt stains, and small size. “Funny thing is, typically new recruits are flown in or escorted into town by a member of our city’s Watch. I’ve never heard of a Warden making the trip from Indiana to Chicago alone.”
“I wasn’t alone,” Liam said quickly. “That’s why I mentioned the emergency. We came across some … trouble … out there.”
The girl’s eyes grew wide and her lips parted in shock. “Is everything okay?”
“Afraid not. Came across some powerful mutants out in the wilds. Trashed our car. We ran. Got separated. He’s still out there, I hope.”
“Who?” The male Warden’s eyes narrowed. “Which one of our Wardens were you with?”
Liam blinked, unsure of what to say. He tried to think of something generic enough.
“There was more than one. I don’t remember everyone’s names. First day of meeting them, and then everything blew up. But I think there was someone named Smith. You know him?”
The male Warden pursed his lips but said nothing.
“I need to report what happened. There may still be time to find him.”
The girl’s eyes shot to her coworker for guidance. “Matty, we can help him.”
Matty gritted his teeth and locked his eyes on Liam. Liam prayed he looked calm and casual.
“Come with us,” Matty finally said. “I’ll take you to Melissa to get you checked in.”
As the two Wardens led Liam through the city, he did his best not to gawk at the buildings, cars, and people. While the city was still in a state of ruin, it was much busier than he remembered it. So much had changed in eleven years. As he looked around at the people of the settlement, he thought about the fact that while these people were living in houses, driving cars, and going to work and school, there were people with mutations starving underground in The City Below. He wondered if his parents were okay.
“So, back in the Indiana settlement, did you happen to know a girl named Kat Grey?” the female Warden asked Liam as they approached a large building near an even larger body of water. Liam’s parents had told them that Chicago was near a big lake as a child, but he’d never seen it himself before. The lake was beautiful.
“Oh, yeah, Kat!” Liam exclaimed. “We weren’t super close, but we went to the same settlement school. Nice girl.”
“Kat’s my cousin,” the girl said. “I don’t remember her very much. Someday, I’d love to go back and meet my extended family.”
Liam looked over at a few boats that had seen better days floating in Lake Michigan and contemplated trying to use one to escape the settlement as Matty opened the door to the building. There were hundreds of Wardens in the building. Sweat built up on Liam’s forehead.
“Eventually, we plan to rebuild Navy Pier. It was a huge attraction in Chicago before the Bio Wars. We are temporarily using this building as a makeshift home for recruits and a place to plan a few upcoming projects here in the city,” he said.
“Oh, really. What kind of projects?” Liam asked.
“Shouldn’t you know? You were recruited.” Matty’s eyes gleamed with a victorious spark, silently saying, ‘Caught you, didn’t I?’
“I was recruited to join The Watch,” Liam clarified. “I was never briefed about any special projects.”
The girl sighed and rolled her eyes at her coworker. “Matty, you know they don’t tell them details until they are here.” She turned to Liam, sympathy in her eyes. “We’re planning to redevelop the city, envisioning the transformation of spaces like Navy Pier. We’re working on medications to benefit both humans and mutants. By harnessing mutant abilities, we aim to assist humans. And there’s progress toward creating a safe cure for mutations.”
Liam’s ears perked up. “A cure for mutations?”
The girl nodded. “We used to do raids in The City Below to find mutants to experiment on. The early attempts at a cure proved fatal for every mutant. However, the Watch has since assembled a dedicated team of scientists tirelessly working on the cure. Although it hasn’t been made public, two mutants have officially survived the drug and it is successfully suppressing their mutations.”
“Mera, that’s classified information,” Matty said.
Mera turned up her nose. “He’s a Warden. It’s something all Wardens should know by now.”
“We don’t know if he’s a Warden yet.” He nodded at Liam. “Melissa’s office is this way.”
Lian followed Matty and Mera down the hall. Liam eyed the door that they were quickly approaching. Once he stepped inside the door, the jig would be up. Melissa would have no clue who he was, and they’d probably be ordered to kill him for impersonating a Warden.
Mera continued to chat.
“I’m excited the cure finally worked,” she said. “I mean, it sucks that so many mutants died, but now we can help the rest live a normal life! We are one step closer to making our world the way it once was, the way it could be again if humans and mutants work together.”
Liam frowned. He’d never expected a Warden to speak about humans and mutants working together.
Matty, on the other hand, scoffed. “Giving out free cures to mutants for doing nothing doesn’t sit right with me. We became Wardens to protect people, not help killers.”
“Well, not all mutants are killers.” Liam tried to keep his voice casual, but he couldn’t help himself. Fable was considered a mutant just for having unusual patches on her skin. His mother and father had never hurt a fly. But he had a feeling that Matty wasn’t the type of Warden who was willing to listen, nor was Liam in a position to try to explain.
Matty opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get any words out, the door burst open, and Liam was shocked to see a familiar face.
The Warden who’d kidnapped Fable looked at him with wide eyes, taking in his uniform with confusion. At first, Liam started to sweat, but he realized he could use this Warden to his advantage. Liam was the only person in the room who knew this Warden was a mutant. He could force this Warden to be his saving grace.
“Hey!” Liam declared, waving at the Warden. He turned to Matty and Mera. “He was with me! In the forest! He was out there with me and Smith. Weren’t you?”
The Warden’s expression filled with rage.
“Don’t you remember?” Liam continued before he could speak. “You told me your secret out there in the forest. You know, your big secret.” Liam winked. “Would you like me to tell your friends here?”
His lips parted, but no words came out.
“Because I was just telling them about the attack in the forest … when those mutants attacked our car. Wasn’t that scary?” Liam asked.
Slowly, to Liam’s relief, he nodded.
“Thank you for your help, Mera and Matty,” Liam said, “but because he was part of the team assigned to get me started here, I’ll let him help me now. He’ll be able to help me explain everything that’s happened in the forest.”
“Of course!” Mera said. “I hope everything works out.”
Matty looked surprised, but eventually sighed and nodded. “Let’s go get some lunch, Mera.”
As Mera followed Matty away, Liam leaned closer to the mutant Warden so no one else could hear his next words.
“Look around,” Liam said.
“At what?” the Warden growled.
“All of these people here. Armed people, just waiting to attack any mutants they find.
If you try anything here, I’ll yell out to all of the Wardens around us and tell everyone your secret. You will die with me here. Now help me get Fable back.”