Escape To New Eden

Out of breath, Lolita climbed one of the Fourteenth District’s mountains of rubble with as much caution as she could afford, looking back to see how close Loot Enforcers had gained on her. Too many times she’d seen the piles of obliterated brick and mortar crumble under the weight of 2149 gold diggers in search of treasure that would earn them passage to the Land of New Eden, but The Loot Enforcers were hot on her trail, and she had to hurry. It had taken over a decade, but the trinket appraiser, Preston, had assured her that a train ran from west to east where civilization had begun anew every third Saturday at dawn.

‘You gotta see it Loli! No piles of anything. Clean water. Paved streets. Buildings as high up as you can see. The kind your parents must’ve seen when they were still alive. And the food.” Preston rubbed his belly and licked his lips. “Don’t even get me started on the food. I’m telling ya, I know you’d love it there.’

And that was exactly what she would do even if it killed her. For weeks she’d been keeping track of the days and had missed the last train out by a few hours. At least that’s what the peddler at the ferry depot had said before he tried to sell her some knockoff treasure. But she had known what would earn her a seat on that train. Preston had schooled her on what to look for, and after months of digging, she’d found a heart-shaped locket made of gold and what she assumed may have been rubies. A few were missing and the locket was tarnished, but she would bet her own life that it was valuable.

With dogged determination, she pulled herself up, testing her weight on slabs of destroyed concrete for stability. If it shifted even slightly, she’d sidestep and find a different path.

“There she is! Up there!” Someone yelled behind. She glanced back quickly before hurrying her efforts to ascend. She no longer had time to take calculated steps. She closed her eyes, kissed the locket, and stuffed it under her shirt wishing for the best. On light feet she made it up and over, occasionally hearing debris collapse behind her. When she finally made it to the bottom, she didn’t waste a second to see who or what she’d left in her wake. Her once scrawny legs had become defined and strong once she’d taken to treasure-hunting. Anything of value left nowadays could only be uncovered and that required digging through demolished dwellings and rubbish with permission from the self-delegated Loot Enforcers. A group of pirates rarely gave permission to dig up their goods. At least not without wanting a hefty portion of its monetary value. Remnants, citizens who’d survived or were born after the War of the Masses, were left to rummage for survival.

Lolita didn’t care. She’d dig until her nails and fingers fell off if it meant she’d get to leave the Fourteenth District. She’d stayed awake many nights looking up at the sky wondering if the other districts in the once United States were like this one. She’d once found a book with a photo of a green lady statue. She couldn’t read but she longed to see that statue. She’d asked Preston about it. His eyes lit up as he’d told her that he’d seen it with his own eyes and that it still stood tall and proud. She’d dreamed about it since, treasure hunting until exhaustion in order to have enough fare for the train.

Her treasure hunting had done her good as she pumped her legs as fast as she could. After running until she couldn’t breathe, she hid behind a half-erected wall and caught her breath sinking to the ground, head against the wall and resting in the shade. A branch snapped under foot and before she could get to her feet, a man appeared in front of her. His face was wrinkled and what was left of his hair had turned white. She gasped at the sight. She had never seen anyone his age. She’d assumed they’d all died during the World War.

“What are you doing in my house?” He shouted. She looked around for a house and found none. He screamed again and she looked around now noticing a pile of blankets in a corner and firepit with a large pot hanging over it. How she’d missed it before she didn’t know.

The elder took a step closer waving a carved stick, shouting for her to leave his house. She began running again until she came to the Bricks of Color Sector of the Fourteenth District. It was rumored that when the buildings were erect, colorful murals covered the walls. Now colorful rubble covered the streets. She followed the path marked by previous travelers that led to the ferry. It was safer to travel the lesser obvious routes, but she’d only ever been there once before and didn’t want to risk getting lost and missing her train again.

By her estimation, it was Friday afternoon with evening fast approaching. It would take her at least another two hours to get to the bridge where she would need to get past the depot master and sneak onto the ferry. She had nothing of value other than the locket to pay for passage and she needed that to board the train. Thinking of sitting on a train and leaving the hell she’d lived in, lit a fire in her to get to the depot as fast as she could. She’d made it just as the sun had begun to set.

Once the docks had been cleared of debris for passengers and freight and a few small buildings had been restored, it had become inundated with drunkards, beggars, and seedy types worse than the Loot Enforcers. The stench of the docks far exceeded those of The Hill, her neighborhood. Drug dealers sold paraphernalia and narcotics openly. Prostitutes walked around topless and toothless.

However, this wasn’t her neighborhood, and no one here owed her anything. Rather than try to earn respect, Lolita opted to keep a low profile. She walked into a dark pub and sat in the corner trying to remain undetected. She’d managed to hide there for several hours before the owner noticed her loitering. He dragged her by the neck of her raggedy t-shirt, snapping the chain she wore around her neck in the process. The locket tumbled to the ground with a soft clunk but loud enough to snatch the attention of the desolate lingering nearby.

The pub owner noticed it as well and reached to the ground in an attempt to seize it. Loli proved faster and with nimble fingers plucked it from the ground and hauled ass away from the docks. She found a dark alley to hide in until the bustling docks would quiet down and she could sneak onto the ferry. Slipping into a crevice of debris, Loli allowed herself to rest, keeping the locket clutched in her palm for safekeeping. Several times she’d dozed off and would jump up startled but her eyes refused to obey her wish to stay alert.

A rat scurried across her feet waking her with a start. Her body felt stiff and she knew she’d slept for several hours. She scuttled out of her hiding place frantic that she’d missed the ferry. The quiet and darkness meant that it was still the wee hours of the night. She headed to the ferry and watched it for a while before making her move to sneak on. The guard was sound asleep and the empty bottle beside him, hopefully, meant he was dead drunk and wouldn’t awake for some time. She chanced it and with ballerina agility walked past him and onto the boat. Once boarded, Loli searched for a hiding place. The ferry wasn’t big and there weren’t many places to hide. She found crates of various goods and hid in between them. Her heart was pounding so fast, she willed it to be quiet before someone heard it.

Hours later, she heard the hustle and bustle of people yet she remained in her hiding place. When she felt the rocking movement of the ferry sailing, she allowed herself to relax. After several minutes, Loli casually joined the other travelers and focused on blending in. She took a seat by the ferry’s edge and looked out onto the waters. Above her, she could see the once majestic bridge dilapidated and calling out to be restored to its once burnt red color now covered in soot, ash, and rust.

When the ferry docked, Loli ached to set foot on unchartered territory and leave behind her old life. Once she did, she rushed to the train station the sun barely having risen. She asked a few passersby the way to the ticket station. When she arrived her heart nearly broke. Hundreds of people had lined up waiting to board the train. Yet she refused to give up hope.

Men dressed in uniforms walked up and down asking passengers for tickets of which many didn’t have. When they reached her, she cautiously showed them her locket. The uniformed gentleman looked at the locket with surprise before sending her inside to see the trainmaster. She rushed inside, a glimmer of hope resurrecting only to be dashed. Dozens of people had wares that needed to be inspected as trade for passage.

After a while, Loli finally got her turn. The ticket master called over an appraiser. The appraiser held the locket up close and examined it through his glasses. For the most part, he seemed uninterested until he opened it. His eyes widened only a fraction and Loli would have missed it had she not been watching him so carefully. He whispered in the ticket master’s ear and marched back to where he’d come from.

The ticket master looked at Loli bored. “Where did you want to go?”

“To the green lady statue.”

“Are you sure? That’s a long trip.”

Loli nodded, tears forming in her eyes. The ticket master looked at her strangely then nodded before handing her a pass that read New Eden City. He directed her to the terminal and was boarded with the help of a conductor. Once on the train, she was taken to a train car with a bed.

“Are you sure this is where I belong?”

The conductor assured her and promised to deliver her food as soon as the train departed. She couldn’t believe her luck. As promised, he’d returned with food that didn’t have bugs in it and wasn’t decaying. She’d had her fill and shoved a few pieces of bread into her pocket for later. She cautiously slipped into the bed and slept for nearly a full day. It had taken a long time to arrive at New Eden City but the ride could have been worse.

Once the train arrived at the terminal, Loli hated leaving the comfort of her train car but she’d dreamed about the green lady statue for so long and couldn’t wait a minute longer to go in search of her. She rushed out into the open air, her smile fading immediately. Black smoke and smog-filled the space above her. Beggars and drunkards lined the streets. She asked a passerby how to get to the green lady statue. Baffled he thought about it, then seemed to have an answer.

“Oh! You mean Lady Liberty. It’s a few miles south. What’s left of her anyway.”

Loli ran south along the river’s edge until she following the landmarks the man had given her. Out in the middle of the river was a half statue covered in soot, ash, and tarnished, destroyed by warfare. Loli sank to her knees and cried for a long while before rising up and deciding on a new adventure. The cracked bell.