Adrian Black

Lucy and Isadora run into some not so normal trouble in the town of Normal.

Chapter 2: Adrian Black

 

       The men that surrounded the two young women were all dressed in military gear and holding M27s. A rather surly looking man in his 50s demanded that Lucy and Isadora get to their feet and follow them. Lucy and Isadora grabbed their things and got to their feet obediently. The surly looking man snatched their bags from their hands and pointed to the door with his gun. Lucy and Isadora headed out of the library, albeit reluctantly.

     “Where are we going?” Lucy wanted to know.

     “You’ll find out when we get there. Shut up,” the surly one snapped.

     Lucy hoped it wasn’t too far. She was still tired. They walked outside and into the empty street. The military men filed out of the library and surrounded them so they couldn’t run. The two young women were ushered down the street and around the corner to the Main Street in town.

      There were a few cars parked or abandoned on the streets, but no one was driving. No one, except them, was walking. All the businesses were closed, their doors mostly shut and locked. It was eerily quiet. Where was everyone she wondered? Had they moved on to a bigger city or had they all died? Both were equally likely. And who were the men who had captured them? Were they truly military or just a group of mercenaries? Maybe they had no military training whatsoever.

        Isadora leaned over and whispered to Lucy, “Do you think they mean to kill us?”

       “Nah, they would have shot us on the spot if they wanted to kill us,” she whispered back.

       Lucy looked around at the empty DMV, the doctor’s offices and the empty grocery store as they passed by. It made her heart sad to see the ruins of a once great civilization.

       It wasn’t long before they came to the city municipal court. The men ushered them up a set of stone stairs and into the rather ancient looking building. If Lucy had to guess, she would have placed the building from the 1930s maybe. It had lots of stone and wood inside the lobby. It wasn’t at all like the big shiny court house in her home town. And she knew that one had been built in the early 2000s.

       The men opened a set of double doors and escorted them into the courtroom. Sitting up at the front was another man in a military uniform. She guessed he was their leader and that had never been a judge. He was slightly overweight with steel gray hair and blue eyes. His combat boots rested on top of the desk in complete disrespect to the sign that read Honorable Judge Mercer. She wondered if the man at the bench had been a police officer or if he had been a criminal.

       “We found the invaders,” the surly one boomed.

       “Thanks Donny boy,” the leader replied.

       “No problem Adrian,” Donny said.

       Donny took his place along the banister and acted as a guard while Adrian conducted the interview or interrogation.

       “So what were you two doing here Blacktown?”

       “Resting is all,” Isadora asked.

       “Blacktown?” Lucy said incredulously. “The sign on the way in said Normal.”

       “Blacktown is its new name. It is named after its new King.”

       “Who died and made you King?” Lucy snapped. She didn’t know anything about Adrian, but already she hated him. He struck her as an arrogant jerk like so many of the leaders of the random rovers and marauders. Men like him were a dime a dozen and she knew enough to realize he was nothing but a big bully. She couldn’t show fear or he’d punish her for it. She had to act brave even if she didn’t feel brave.

         Adrian swiped the nameplate off the bench with his foot and sat up. He leaned over the bench and looked Lucy directly in the eye. “A lot of people died kid. You might want to be careful or you’ll join them.”

        “Is there something we can help you with?” Isadora asked diplomatically.

        Adrian leaned back in his seat and said, “Yes. You can tell me why you have invaded my territory.”

        “She was right. We were resting�"merely passing through. If you would kindly allow us to be on our way we would be out of your hair within minutes,” Lucy replied.

         “What were you doing in the library?” Adrian asked.

         “Sleeping,” Isadora said simply.

         “Why didn’t you check in with us?”

         “We didn’t know there was anybody to check in with,” Lucy sighed. This line of questioned was incredibly frustrating. Apparently Adrian Black thought they had been up to no good. Maybe he thought they were spies form a rival town or something. Lucy didn’t know and really didn’t care. She just wanted to leave.

        “Do you know a man named Carter Campbell?”

        Lucy and Isadora looked at each other questioningly. Isadora seemed as puzzled as Lucy was, so Lucy said, “No, we do not.”

       “How do I know you aren’t lying to me?”
       You don’t know thought Lucy.

       It was Isadora who spoke up though.  “We really have no clue who you are referring to. My name is Belle and this is my sister Aurora. Our parents were killed and we were on a journey to find any of our living relatives in the area. Our last name is Merida. Perhaps you’ve heard of us.”

      “No, I have not,” Adrian said. He was silent for a moment before he gestured to Donny. “Take them to lockup until I decide what to do with them.”

       Donny nodded stepped up behind the young women. He pointed his gun into Lucy’s back and indicated he wanted them to out the back door and down to lockup. Lucy and Isadora began walking, unsure of their fate.

        Once Donny had shoved them into the tiny jail cell, slammed the door shut and locked it, he left. They had no idea if he was standing just outside the lockup room or if he had gone elsewhere for the day. Lucy was fairly sure he was out of earshot though.

       “Disney Princesses? Really?” she laughed.

       “It was first thing that popped into my head. I’m sorry if didn’t meet your approval. Next time I will be sure to run down a list of potential aliases with you,” Isadora said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

        “I guess we have to figure out how we are going to get out of here,” Lucy sighed. She placed her hands on the bars and looked out at the hallway forlornly.

        “Easy enough,” Isadora said. She took a file and paperclip from her pocket and began working the lock. It clicked and she swung the door open in a matter of moments. “Getting out of this room and this building might prove to be a bit more challenging�"particularly since there are armed guards lurking about.”