Walking with the Demons

Chapter 12

There were several familiar faces within the group that followed behind Marcus, if familiar included seeing them from a distance over the past two days. Marcus kept his eyes on the escorts that led them and the ones that surrounded the group.

"You can't blame their weariness, especially of a large group of strangers arriving at dusk," Kou reasoned as Marcus noted the long-abandoned factory that they approached. "There is a good chance they witnessed Chicago burning in the distance."

A pair of guards stood by the door leading inside, while another two walked back and forth in front of the empty docks. Marcus glanced from one bare dock to another, wondering what the factory had once produced and shipped out. One man from the stationary duo noticed the oncoming group, snapping his heels together and standing erect. His behavior rippled outward and within seconds, the other three joined in observing the new faces walking toward the factory. Not a single word passed between the guards escorting and the ones patrolling, nor the passengers to either set of armed guards.

Marcus gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw yet knowing he had to remain passive for a sake greater than his own. They continued onward, past the docks and the guards, through the doors, and into the empty factory. One aisle turned into several before the dust-encrusted assembly lines came into view, but another door came into sight and they emerged into a large conference room. The decor of the room and the quality of the desk in the center led Marcus to believe they were near the front of the factory.

"Sit here and wait!" One guard demanded while the other half-dozen stood watching, waiting for an excuse.

Many of the group obeyed, whether out of fear of discipline or hope of earning a home, Marcus was unsure. For his bending of the knee, he held no reservations, knowing he was doing what Blake would do. Whispers sprung to life as the guards closed the door, leaving the group alone. Marcus bit his tongue to prevent him from chastising or confirming the various thoughts circulating the room. Minutes later, the door opened and a single woman in her mid to late 20s walked inside, clasping a clipboard between her two manicured hands. She wore a black jacket that had grown faded with the years with a thin white T-shirt underneath revealing her toned and fit body. A pair of tight black jeans and matching black boots finished her ensemble of attire.

In the back of his mind, a whisper crept out from Kou, "No..."

Marcus resisted the urge to even whisper, knowing that no word would go unheard in such cramped quarters, but Kou wasted no time in his continuation.

"She works for Michael," Kou explained, a single sentence telling Marcus everything he needed to know in the uneasy silence of the room.

A solitary lock of brunette hair dropped from the well-kept remainder atop her head, yet within a breath it was brushed back into the innumerable autumn strands. Her eyes darted around the room from one face to another with a smile lingering on her lips. Marcus thought back to Debra on the shore of the river and her reaction, realizing that this woman must've felt the sensation of Kou inside her mind. She continued gazing around the room, her smile never faltering until she locked eyes with Marcus.

"My name is Amanda Syles," She announced, breaking eye contact and resuming her roaming gaze. "I'll be the one conducting the entrance exams for your group so that we can have you assimilate into the colony promptly."

"Why would we need to be examined?" An elderly woman questioned, rising to her feet.

Amanda's eyes squinted, drilling a hole through the outspoken party, but her smile remained unfazed.

"Just necessary tests such as identifying your ability if you have one, any experience with the fundamentals of running a colony, any diseases that you may have, or simply if you're able to contribute. Simple tests like that. Nothing too invasive or extreme."