Chapter 7 – The City

October 10th 2027,08:33

‘Listen,’ the man started a conversation with Pov, ‘I’m sorry if my colleague had scared you. Everyone’s on edge. It’s already October, just two months away from 32nd December.’

‘Um…’ Pov wasn’t sure on how to react. ‘No… problem?’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Pov.’

‘Weird name.’

‘… I’ve heard that a lot.’

‘Didn’t mean to offend. Sorry. My name is Odyssey. At first, they wanted to name me Homer, but they liked Odyssey better.’

‘I see.’ Again, Pov wasn’t sure on how to react. Generally, she would say something like “nice to meet you”, but in this situation—where her wrists were tied behind her back and he had a gun pointed at her if she was to do anything funny—she couldn’t really say that.

‘… You’ve been awfully silent so far. Usually, people would have questions.’

‘It’s a habit I picked up, I guess.’ Traveling with Carrie, she had learned to keep her mouth shut. Especially when Carrie’s throat was dry from not having enough water to drink due to her.

‘You can ask questions, if you want.’

Alright. What kind of question should she ask? Hm… What was the name that he had mentioned? Right. ‘Who’s… Kez?’

‘Kez is our leader. His methods could be debated, but he’s a man of action. We follow him because he stands firm about his beliefs. With hope running thin as the days go by, his leadership makes us believe in that thin hope.’

‘… What will you do to me? After I meet him?’

‘I’ll do whatever he orders me to. Chances are, he’ll give you a job, and you’ll have to do it. The job could be harsh, but rest assured, we will make sure that your needs are met. He manages the supply really well—to a fault... He assigns the best job to the right people.

‘I was assigned as a guard because he knew of my military background. My job is to patrol the border of this area and make sure that there aren’t any spies or adversaries that could possibly be sent by the capital city.’

That was something that piqued her interest. ‘You’re enemies with the capital?’

‘You could say that. Yes.’

‘Why?’

‘We have… differing opinions.’

‘What kind of differing opinions?’

‘It’s difficult to explain. Kez can explain it better than I could.’

‘What—’

‘Look, the city is within sight.’

They had been walking inside a city, but it seemed that what Odyssey had referred to as the city was the area where the people resided. This place was bustling with people.

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08:51

The city was a normal city. There were functioning buildings, there were people with jobs, and there was liveliness to the atmosphere. It was like a normal city, one that existed before the announcement about the end of the world. Before things changed.

This brought tears to her eyes.

Didn’t expect that this sight could exist.

Pov had heard that such a sight could be attained in the capital city. But to encounter it here was a pleasant surprise.

On the street were various stalls, where items were given and taken just like that.

Odyssey explained, ‘We don’t use money here.

‘Here, we run on trust. Everyone has their own job, and they must fulfill their job. Anyone who would like any sort of item would be given them, as long as they are responsible about the item. You can have any food you’d like, as long as you exercise restraint and not monopolize the whole share. This city is built on trust. Not on flimsy paper notes.’

Is that even possible? Pov couldn’t help but wonder. If such a system could’ve been built like that, then… why didn’t it exist before? Or… perhaps… was this kind of system only possible because of the foretold calamity? Such a drastic change could only be brought about by another drastic change. Perhaps that was it. ‘Is this why you’re enemies against the capital city?’

Odyssey nodded. ‘Part of it. They still use paper notes, but that’s not the entirety of it.’

It’s not?

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09:21

Arriving at a hotel, Odyssey greeted the landlord, an old man in his sixties. The landlord saw Pov’s tied wrists and took a guess.

‘She’s going to stay with you until you hear from Kez?’

‘Yes,’ Odyssey said.

‘No objections from me then. This old man would only remind you not to do anything funny.’

‘I will only do my job of keeping watch over her until she’s assigned a job. Don’t worry.’

‘Alright then.’

‘… Say, I heard that… you’re going to be replaced?’

‘… Young people like you shouldn’t worry about this old man.’

The landlord didn’t quite answer the question. He cleared the way, allowing Pov and Odyssey to pass.

They climbed the stairs, as the elevators weren’t running. This city had no electric power supplies. Instead, from Carrie’s understanding, they used equipment that didn’t require electricity. Odyssey did say that he used a radio, which Pov assumed would be powered by batteries but not electricity.

They stopped on the second floor, then four rooms to the left of the stairs—was Odyssey’s room. He opened the door, not even locked, it seemed that the boundaries were respected here, and he showed her his room. Clean. Minimalistic.

‘It’s rather empty,’ Pov remarked.

‘I patrol most of the time. If there’s any item that is good, I’d rather that others have it.’

Was that his kind personality? Or was that the culture here in this place?

‘You’re going to stay with me until Kez gives orders to us. That would mean staying in this room. A house arrest for you, you could say.’

‘… I’ll have you know that I’m really scared of being alone.’

‘I’ll keep you within my watch. Always.’

That was reassuring. Perhaps this house arrest wouldn’t be so bad.