Jerry sat in a wooden stall with straws of hay on the flooring boards and stood calmly, listening to the sounds outside. The sounds of sirens scaring the birds away, the cries of the kidnapped captives, and the wheels shattering on the forest's pebble-sandy pathways.
'Should I give myself up or slip out?' He paused for a moment, his palm supporting his chin and his elbow resting on his crossed knee. He had instructed #7 to locate a radio or phone and call a specific police force from outside the area to come here. They initially assured the youngster that they would send a crusader from the neighboring town to help them, but when he indicated Jericho's cult involvement, they summoned their entire assault force.
Heavy-duty vehicles carrying a special operations unit of the police force were currently searching the barn and other buildings in the woodland for evidence. And it was just a matter of time before they opened this door to this area and began asking him things he didn't want to answer, but Jerry was concerned that they would arrest him because he had told #7 to inform them that the infamous Jerry Maddison was present and where he hid.
But, at the time, Jerry was dealing with his difficulty right now, which was that he was dumping on the shack toilet as a raid was underway. His jeans were on the ground floor between his legs.
After he finished, he used his hands to feel around the edges of the structure to find a toilet paper holder for the toilet paper.
His improved hearing detected something as he heard the grass part way and transition thanks to an object interacting with them, footsteps. Jerry finished and pulled his pants up, reaching for his cane and grabbing it. "One must look presentable to meet a guest," his father said every time he told him to wear the bowtie, which he despised and wore with the promise of additional dessert ice cream.
'Yeah, I should have some when I get there,' he thought as he took a breath, steadying and waiting for the men and women to arrive. Jerry wanted #7 not to call any random police force but only one specifically, and that was...
A commanding voice sounded.
"JERRY JAMES MADDISON, this is the Carlo City Police Squad. "Come out with your hands up!"
The Carllo City Police Department will provide him with transportation to his destination, although in cuffs. Jerry opened the door as softly as possible so they could see what they were searching for clearly, yet he couldn't see their faces and only heard a collection of gasps, indicating that the wanted posters had not been updated yet since Allie and her mother gave the police their statement about his new appearance. Some officers were perplexed when they saw a young man with short neck-length brown hair wearing a blindfold walk out of a toilet with a cane and a toilet paper roll.
In that tight and frightening scenario, Jerry scented the air and laughed, knowing that the weapons were loaded with bullets. With that, he gradually drops the toilet paper roll and asks sincerely:
"Is that an extra charge?" he knew that littering in the forest was a crime.
***
Jerry's POV:
Here I am, being slowly pulled to a cruiser with sirens turned on and blinking lights, which I assume are blinking because I am visually handicapped. I hope they are.
They read me my rights with distaste in their tone of voice; part of me wanted to laugh at how they read them and correct them that I am a former blessed and am not bound by the registration. Oh, Mirandizing thou is a heartless she-beast.
I concentrated and listened, separating discussions that had no bearing on my investigation as I listened to the police process the scene and paramedics deal with the kidnapped victims.
"Does it hurt anywhere else?"
"Just here"
I refocused and picked up on another chat.
"Argh, what is that smell?"
"Argh," he spat into the hole full of carcasses. "Whatever is down there is what smells."
"Yo, rookie, grab the hose. We need to extinguish the fire."
"Honestly, why would Jericho's people burn these bodies? Was there a sickness outbreak underground?"
"I don't believe so; some of the rescued victims exhibit no traces of needlework done on their bodies as a precaution. No, something happened here; the question remains: why burn the victims rather than bury them, or was burying them a far crueler fate, or are they just sickos, as the news keeps telling us?"
"Sir, we scoped the area for any clues, but something pressing is bothering me, sir."
"Elaborate"
"Sir, does it strike you as weird that there are no creatures in this forest, such as bears and bucks? It's incredibly silent and scary."
"Yeah, that is strange, maybe the cult killed them all."
"Maybe, sir, maybe."
That was the last contact I heard as they ushered me into the police cruiser. I relaxed in my seat and became comfortable.
'Let's see,' I reasoned, 'a monster that consumes a large amount of wild animals, largely located on our continent, not in the void of changing islands. A creature capable of infecting some people to the point where their bodies have to be burned, and it's being conveyed by an obese member of the Jericho family. The man is a Jericho hierarchical brother who is delivering a creature of unknown origin to Carllo City, a city that honors the past.'
'I'm thirty; should I ask for water? I thought as I gently stroked my throat. Finally, I shrugged and asked not for water, of course:
"So, where are we heading?"
I was ignored for a while, until I heard the engine start. A police officer next to me responded:
"Where else but the city that meets the past, present, and future?"
I chuckled and replied:
"There's no need for you to tell me that; I was only conversing because I'm thirsty and want a drink, and I'm too shy to ask for one without making a remark to indicate interest, such as asking where we were going. Also, I directed the child to call you, Carllo's police force. So, I have to ask for the water, I am parched."
"Is water with ice good for you?"
"Yes, please. I am grateful that your city is the one that gets to bring my bounty to the registry. How much is it now?"
I heard the sound of pouring liquid as I smelled a freshly opened cap from a bottle.
I spread my hands wide to reach, as much as my handcuffs allowed me. I was handed a smooth and cold object dripping with moisture, cold water in a glass, I believe. I started to drink with a thought in mind:
They brought me a glass of water that was cold to the touch due to the ice, and I greedily drank it without thinking about the brain freeze, finishing the glass with the final sip and returning the glass to the man next to it.
"Your bounty is about B50,000 bards, but since you are a priority one suspect in killing the cultivation high council, your bounty was moved up to B1 million bards."
"Hey, officer, why are you entertaining the criminal? That kid killed a high-ranking member of the cultivation society on live TV, no less. Suspect hehe don't make me laugh, that little demon doesn't deserve the same courtesy as civilians or a misdemeanor. A death penalty is what he needs," one cop stated with disgusted disdain.
'Criminal, little demon, and murderer.' I repeated some of the words in my head, I was certain to get them out of my tongue, but my words only, "A criminal is an individual who commits a misdemeanor or horrendous act seen as a sin to society's better structure, am I right?"
"Yeah, and that is what you are."
I attempted to control my breathing and spoke:
"That I do not deny, but justice is considered as an act to make things right in the eyes of the law, therefore, I ask you, representatives of justice, where were you on that mountain, in that room, and at that time? What I did in that room was justice, but it didn't come from the law."
Malice flowed from my body, and every word spoken weighed heavily on the police officers in the car; some turned pale and clutched their mouths to avoid emptying the contents of their stomachs, while others were nearly paralyzed. To the point where one of the men in the car got something out of his pocket and jabbed me in the neck, which I intentionally left open.
I wanted to sleep, but the hunger remained, so I was given some rest in the form of an injection containing a sleeping solution. I need the rest for what I plan to accomplish when I arrive.
***
Carllo City is a marvel of wonder and fantasy. To this day, I wonder why the president did not designate this booming metropolis the capital of Obstacle. It is the most technologically advanced city in all of Obstacle country, and nanotechnology serves as its primary foundation for its greatness. Imagine treating an ailment that could last months or years, healing it in seconds, or constructing a hotel and hospital in hours or minutes; the possibilities are limitless with this.
This is the only city that accepts and renews every part of the problematic globe.
People who are deemed to be infected with the power are the most tolerated here, in contrast to the rest of the world.
Yes, infectants are required to battle against the creatures of the void that are changing continents, so countries entice them to assist with promises of citizenship and hero status, which allows infectants to move freely within their country and the UN.
Carllo established the first guild organization in which both infectants and humans worked together to collect, research, and discover the wonders and secrets of the void-shifting continent.
The festival is held every decade on the anniversary of the city's initial day of development during the drifting era.
Mr Callisto Carllo and his native friends from this country created this city of peace that does not wage war and contributes as much as possible to the community that has benefited and wishes to aid. Mister Callisto Carllo once stated:
"I saw the past as a lesson that we must learn from our mistakes, bear the consequences of our actions, and use that to serve and construct a future we can live with. As so, I dedicate today to becoming the past and learning from it countless times."
Nobody knows why this man wanted the event to happen, but Carllo City fulfilled its promise to its creator by organizing the Faraway event, a celebration of the past.
Every ten years, the city is renovated according to the century of the people's choosing using the nanobots that build this place, and everyone must participate, or face consequences afterward.
So, nanotechnology will rebuild the city's infrastructure and concept to reflect the chosen century. Clothing, machines, education, and so on will be designed to fit the past; no modern-day technologies will be found and outlawed.
Jerry slept with a smile:
"I am going back home, and I wouldn't be able to see it."
That did not keep Jerry in a bad mood. He longed to hear, smell, and feel his home again.