It’s Freezing!

Zooming through the One-way Transport System, Manya, Kenzo and Lando approach the northern continent of Hell: Sepentria.

The temperature rapidly cools as they reach the climax of their journey.

“Holy shit it’s cold…I can’t feel my fingers!!” Lando exclaims.

Lando is shivering ceaselessly.

He continues, “And can you sit still!? It’s too cramped in here for you to be wriggling around like that!”

Manya is shaking with excitement in his seat. Meanwhile, Kenzo is meditating quietly, ignoring all distractions.

Suddenly, their momentum stops and they all feel themselves being propelled upwards. The vehicle violently shakes as they ascend upwards before it abruptly stops again.

“You have arrived at your destination.” a robotic voice resonates in the vehicle as the door opens.

The trio each carefully step out of the vehicle. Behind them, 3 packages eject out of their seats.

“Welcome to Sepentria.” The robotic voice adds before the vehicle doors slam shut behind them.

The three of them each open up their packages revealing coats, mittens, hats and other warm clothing. Frantically, they put these clothes on, trying to escape the merciless cold as fast as they can.

“Thank god.. At Least we can get through here without freezing to death!” Lando says, relieved.

Suddenly, a vibration buzzes from Lando’s pocket.

“Eh!? I didn’t know you were into those types of toys Lando. In public as well? Have some decency.” Kenzo disappointedly sighs.

“Huh!? WHAT!!?? NO I-”

“Don’t bother, you’ll just make yourself look worse…” Kenzo interrupts.

“…Huh?” Manya is picking his nose, completely oblivious as to what they are discussing.

Lando reaches in his pocket to check what is causing the vibration, (and to clear his name). He pulls out a strange device with a screen on it, displaying his current location on a map and a route highlighted in red.
“SEE!! I TOLD YOU!!”

“Hmmm… It’s a navigator. So we’re not completely lost then.” Kenzo replies.

“WAIT! YOU DIDN’T APOLOGIZE!!” Lando exclaims.

Ignoring him, Kenzo  collects the navigator from Lando and begins leading the way. Manya rushes behind him and peeks over his shoulder to take a look at the navigator as well.

“What are the moving dots?” Manya asks.

“Camera drones most likely, if they spot us they’ll alert the seekers.”

“You mean those giant robots? What  a pain.”

“Well if we’re careful, we can use this to avoid them.”

10 minutes…

20 minutes…

30 minutes go by, yet the trio are still walking. As if there is no end to this snowy expanse.

“Kenzo, are we there yet!?” Manya asks impatiently.

Lando is still embarrassed from earlier.

“We should be arriving there soon, we’re not too far away.” Kenzo replies.

“Speak of the devil.” Lando says, pointing at the horizon.

Massive buildings produce thick grey smoke into the sky, protruding through colossal walls that encase them.

“Arriving at The Chamomile District [V]” a robotic voice says as the navigator buzzes once more.

“Woah” Manya says in awe as they approach the behemoth of a district.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrive at the giant walls.

“Well shit….what now?” Lando asks, staring at the gigantic wall towering above them.

Suddenly, Kenzo raises his guard and looks up at the top of the wall.

“Both of you shut up.” He whispers.

He hears muttering at the top of the wall. Shifting his focus to where the sound is coming from, he sees two silhouettes.

“Look up there.” he whispers, pointing at the two men.

“Did ya here? Some more people came from the one way system today.” One of the men says.

“Pfft. Probably some more idiots trynna get to heaven. They’ll probably die once they leave here like the rest.” The other replies.

“Okay how are we gonna get up there, we gotta be strategic.” Lando whispers.

“Kekeke! Don’t worry, I got this!” Manya replies.

He continues, “Hey!! Over here!! Can you let us in please?”

Kenzo and Lando simultaneously facepalm.

“Huh? Oh you must be the newcomers from the One Way System. Sure come on up!” The man replies.

“IT WORKED!?” Kenzo and Lando exclaim.

“Kekeke!” Manya laughs.

The other guard throws down a rope ladder which lands perfectly at their feet and they begin ascending upwards. The climb is endless, made no easier with the thick winter clothing restricting their movements.

Kenzo removes his coat and throws it to the ground below, his bare chest embraces the frigid cold and his movements are much smoother.

“Kenzo how are you-…Aren’t you cold?” Lando pants.

“It was too restrictive. Just try and keep up.”

Lando is at his limit. Completely exhausted from the long climb, whilst still trying to keep up from the back. In contrast, Kenzo and Manya are unaffected, only increasing in speed.

“Guys! I can see the top!!” Manya says excitedly, accelerating even more.

Kenzo follows along. Lando, now barely able to breath, Uses the last of his energy to slug to the top before collapsing once reaching the top of the wall.

“You guys arrived just in time, the monarch is presenting his annual speech today.” One of the men says.

“Monarch?” Lando enquiries, still collapsed on the floor.

“That is odd. What kind of district has a monarch? ” Kenzo ads.

“Have some respect! This isn’t just any old district…You are at the Chamomile District [V]!! This district runs the same as a normal country, and we pride ourselves on quality of life.”  The other man says.

Manya, Kenzo and Lando have arrived in The Chamomile District [V]. It is quite unlike any district they have seen before, its size is unparalleled and there are no farms in sight. This is because they receive crude oil exports from other districts which are separated in distillation factories dotted throughout The Chamomile District [V]. Because of its spacious design, it does not need to rely on maze-like streets or stacked buildings. Instead, it has roads and neighbourhoods and is designed like a regular city. However, due to the oil factories, The air is laced with pollution.

“Check the navigator that led you here” The man says.

As Kenzo checks it, he notices that the screen that once had their location now simply displays a number.

“What does this mean?” Kenzo asks.

“It’s your social credit score. That should be enough for the three of you to get food, water and other essentials, but you’ll need to work and do good deeds to get more.” He replies, before directing them to another rope ladder they must descend to enter the district.

“Again!?” Lando sobs.

Once they reach the bottom, they immediately notice everyone rushing from the Outer City to The Pistil. The three of them stand confused watching everyone rush around them.

“What are you waiting for!? It’s starting!!” A member from the crowd exclaims, before running off to catch up with everyone else.

“Let’s go see what the fuss is about!” Manya orders.

“I don’t think I can move my body anymore…!” Lando cries.

Manya throws him over his shoulder and they begin running along with the crowd.

As they arrive at the centre of The Pistil a strong tall man stands on a stage elevated from the rest of the crowd.

“Good evening everyone.” He says.

Immediately, the crowd goes silent and are engaged in what he has to say.

“This year’s annual speech is slightly different, as I won’t actually be giving a speech. I’m here to announce my retirement.”

The crowd gasps in shock.

“I’d like to thank you for my time here as the monarch. However, I miss my family and friends and would like to return to them on Para Island.” He continues, bowing his head in gratitude.

“Family? This could be King’s brother.” Manya ponders.

BANG!!!

As the man bows his head, a bullet flies past where his head originally was. Murderous intent pollutes the atmosphere.