Walking Dollar Bills

Chapter 40: Cloudy Days and Rainy Eyes

Screams and shouts echo throughout the dictator's underground prison. Those in chains pound on the stone floors, while the unshackled prisoners violently shake their cell bars. The humid temperature within the prison turns breathing into torture.

Dictator Beneficence struts down the prison hall passing several cells. Behind him are two government workers holding portable lamps into the air. The lamps create a circle of light around the three as they travel deeper into the heart of darkness.

The sound of footsteps comes to a halt. The wails of the prisoners also fade out. Silence reigns supreme once again.

Dictator Beneficence stands with his back away from Tantalus' old cell. The dictator looks down at a tiny ball of ear wax sitting on the ground inside of the cell he faces. A sinister smile appears on his face.

"I see not much has changed," starts Dictator Beneficence, "Down here."

The dictator is incorrect. The condition of the middle-aged man has worsened since the dictator's last visit. Flies buzz around the man's long gray hair, a pool of liquid dampens his tattered pants, and a rancid stench floats through the cell bars and assaults the dictator's nostrils.

"Byrd still sings the song of your demise" croaks the man lifting his lemon-colored eyes at the dictator.

"Well she won't be singing for long" answers Dictator Beneficence. He curls his fingers and a government worker slips a key into his sweaty palm. The dictator stomachs the stench and steps closer to the cell.

"Cloud," says Dictator Beneficence inserting the key into the lock, "Co-Founder of the Nationalist Party and father of those wretched kids... Twister and Byrd."

The boom of a cell opening is freedom's auditory manifestation.

In concert, the prisoners howl and drum up as much noise as they are physically able to. The government workers flinch and instinctively reach for the guns tucked into their waistbands. Meanwhile, Dictator Beneficence wipes his hands clean of dust.

He stands just outside of the cell without transgressing the boundary.

"This will most likely come as a surprise, but I wanted to praise you for raising two fine children" says Dictator Beneficence.

The dictator's insinuation causes Cloud's body to jerk. He has remained sedentary for so long that his legs are numb. But now, fresh blood races through his veins and demands access to parts of the body—areas of the circulatory system—that have been caged off for too long.

Like a newborn taking his first steps, Cloud wobbles onto his feet.

"You deserve to hear of their accomplishments before you perish. Your brats have managed to destroy my northern base, eliminate the Crimson Brigade, cause a rebellion in the fourth ring, and spearhead a charge to the center of the Benevolent district" says Dictator Beneficence.

"They're coming. They are on their way to the first ring. They are hunting me."

Cloud clamps his hands over his knees to ground himself. He feels his heart pounding against his chest. Good new? He couldn't believe that the dictator was sharing good news. Cloud takes a deep breath believing that bad news must be on the tip of the dictator's tongue.

"I'm sure you know what that's called?" asks Dictator Beneficence,

"Treason."

"Where are my kids?" croaks Cloud.

Dictator Beneficence takes a step back. The two government workers bulldoze into the cell and grab Cloud by the arms. The soles of their designer shoes soak in urine.