Chadpocalypse - 2:12 The Distance

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2:12 The Distance

Around nine in the evening, the corn fields gave way to city blocks as they wound their way into the outskirts of Danneville, Midway’s closest neighbor. Chad hadn’t been far outside the Midway city limits since he was a child. Mostly it was due to a lack of finances, but on another hand, he had always believed that there just wasn’t much to do beyond the city limits. As Danneville cropped up before them, he agreed with his previous assessment.  

     The skyscrapers looked like Midway’s, only a little shorter and a yellow haze hung around the city like a sickly halo. Sure, Midway wasn’t the paragon of air quality either, but at least it was original. In the distance, he could see the lights of planes in the evening sky, taking off and landing. He thought about all the people on the way to wonderful, far off destinations, and then let his musings drift to the end of his own journey.

     The dossier on War and Famine had been comprehensive to say the least. According to reports, they had been traveling together for some time. Famine had of course broken off briefly to warn Chad that the apocalypse was coming, but aside from that, they were inseperable. Unlike the other two horsemen, they had taken on more human forms to blend with the world around them. It was a necessity to enable their feeding on the grosser parts of humanity.

     Famine was in the fashion industry, working as a designer. Through the years, he had become notorious for only hiring models who looked like they were about to keel over and die. Once in his employ, many would actually starve trying to attain the perfect form he had set before them. With each emaciated body he kept close, Famine grew more powerful, preparing for the final ride across the apocalyptic frontier.

     War had also modernized her approach, taking the horrid cesspool that was the internet and claiming it has her battleground. She didn’t need weapons or armies anymore. Instead, she could incite rivalries, blood feuds, and on a good day, even wars, with a few well-placed comments on her smartphone. The dossier asserted that War likely had a part in creating some of the most popular social media apps, but she hadn’t been officially tied to any of the companies yet.

     All in all, Chad could see the threat both horsemen -horsepeople, equestrians? - posed, but neither seemed as threatening as Death. Even Pestilence had taken on a horrifying demonic form, but he supposed that could have easily been due to the LSD. He closed the manila folder as they approached the airport. “So, Milan?”

     “That’s right.” Madeline had been silent since their last fight and her voice was hoarse.

     “That’s in Europe.” As he said it, Chad realized a few problems at once. The first of which was he had never been out of the United States. The second was his lack of a means to do so. Last he checked, the American passport system had slowed to a crawl. With people being discouraged from leaving the country and air travel being prohibitively expensive, traveling abroad had been an unappealing prospect.

     James opened the center console and pulled out a small black box with a circular lens on the front. “That’s a good point.” He flipped switches and pushed buttons until the small box began to whir. “Smile.”

     Chad barely had time to manage a grin before a bright flash went off. After-images of James’s face bloomed before his eyes. “What the fuck, man?”

     “Beats going to a federal building and waiting six weeks.” The box in James’s hand whined and Chad could hear materials being pushed through it. In less than a minute, a small leather book popped out of a slot at the back and James passed it to him. “Here you go, Chad, you’re officially cleared for international travel.”

     “It can’t be that easy.” Chad reached out and grabbed the item from James. The surface of the booklet was still warm. He opened it and saw a very dazed picture of himself next to a host of surprisingly accurate information on his height, eye color, and birthplace. “Do I want to know how you got ahold of my personal information?”

     “One of the perks of being a secret organization with some very talented data miners,” said Madeline. “Make sure you look it over. There’s a chance you’ll be questioned prior to your flight, and I’d hate for you to get stopped on a technicality.” She turned the wheel and pulled the car off the freeway. Outside, the evening air had faded to a dark purple. To their right, a high metal fence rose with a series of red and white lights beyond it. Through some miracle, they had made it to the airport without Death catching up to them.

     Chad gave the passport a once over and put it in his pocket. While he was terrified, the idea of getting out of the country had a certain luster to it. Maybe, when they had finished with the horsemen, he would stay abroad. There wasn’t anything waiting for him back in Midway. Chad regretted once more that he hadn’t even contacted his boss to give the heads up that he’d be out of town. On the other hand, he had always hated that job. I wonder if saving the world from the apocalypse pays…

     Madeline turned the car toward a large green sign that read: ‘Arrivals’ in bold, white lettering. “Now, I won’t have any bitching out of either of you, but you’re flying commercial.”

     “What? The Order can’t fly private anymore?” James stifled a yawn, as if the effort of even minor sarcasm was too much to bear.

     “You’re lucky I was able to get funds transferred at all. You know how fond we are of keeping our assets buried in the back yard.”

The car entered a crowded loading area with all manner of cars strewn about in no semblance of order. A security guard with an orange vest stomped between parked cars, ensuring that they were indeed loading or unloading. Occasionally, he would give a spirited blow on a black whistle he held in his palm. The shrill sound cut through the concrete overhang like a knife, penetrating even the car’s reinforced windows. Each time he did so, delight spread across his face.

     Madeline weaved between the cars like it was a scene from the end of the world and eventually found her way to the side of the white painted curb. Behind her, a man at the wheel of an oversized truck flipped her off and laid on the horn. “Best you both get out of this car before this mission has some civilian casualties.” There was a joking air to her voice, but it was tenuous at best.

     “Where will you go?” asked James.

     She mulled the question over, eyeing the security guard in the distance who was in turn eyeing her. “Oh, The Order has many offices, I suppose I’ll try and hitch up with one of them. Like I said before, someone had to make it out of our chapter alive. Maybe I’ll find them and start again.”

     James nodded. “Thanks, Madeline.”

     “Stop this thing, that can be your thanks.”

     “I feel like I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,” said Chad from the back seat.

     Madeline turned to face him, her eyes filled with sympathy. “It’s not an easy path you walk. Don’t think I don’t know that.”

     The sincerity and directness caught Chad off guard. “Thanks,” he mumbled, unable to come up with anything else.

     Before the silence had a chance to get awkward, the guard was blowing on his whistle and approaching the vehicle at a quick clip. “Right, that’s our cue,” said James, pushing open the passenger door.

     “Try not to run him over on your way out,” said Chad, opening his own.

     “No promises.” Madeline winked and put the car in gear.

     Chad shut the door and watched as she sped within an inch of the guard who yelled something at her as she passed. James pulled him into the throng of departing passengers, avoiding what was sure to be a swift retribution from the guard. Together, they made their way into the airport. Chad pulled out his passport and looked at the paper ticket that had been folded into the second page. Despite it all, a smile crept across his face. He was headed to Europe.