Authors: Daniel J. Williams
“I know how to fight, too. From Roger. He’s a black belt in Taekwando.”
Chelsea studied her for a moment. “You can fight? Why didn’t you hit me back?”
“It was only one punch and I told you, I’m not looking for a fight.”
“What else can you do?”
“I love the front snap kick. Watch.” Kelly lifted her knee to her waist, then quickly extended her foot towards Chelsea. It snapped a few inches from her face.
“Nice, but not so close,” Chelsea said, impressed and annoyed at the same time. “Check this out.”
Chelsea dropped and swept Kelly’s leg out from under her. As soon as Kelly fell to her back, Chelsea’s elbow was positioned over her jaw.
“Good move,” Kelly said from the floor, wanting the demonstrations to end. Chelsea pulled away and Kelly got to her feet, dusting herself off. They sized each other up for a minute before Kelly put out her hand. “I’m Kelly.”
Chelsea shook her hand. “I’m Chelsea, and this is Maya.”
“Can you fight, too?” Kelly asked Maya.
“We all can,” Maya acknowledged proudly.
The kids all considered themselves warriors, embracing the feeling of control it gave them. They knew what death and vulnerability felt like: It's all they'd ever known. Hardening their minds and bodies, they readied themselves for the next battle, knowing it would come soon enough. Despite whatever changes might develop in the world, they would always be the children of the apocalypse.
Saul rode hard. Leaning into his horse, he kicked it firmly in its sides as it galloped. The wind felt refreshing as it whipped against his skin. Stunned at still being alive, he wanted to put distance between himself and the camp.
Heading towards Austin, the roads remained barren except for long abandoned cars that slowly resembled the changing landscape. Weeds grew through cracks in the asphalt, claiming the rusted heaps as their own. Saul tried to avoid any bodies that lay forgotten near the road. Most were dead infected who finally succumbed to nature’s stalking. With the antidote in his system, he felt confident that he was fully immune from the new infection. Long travels through infected landscapes proved to him its value, but now the lack of backup terrified him. The Plaguers were unpredictable and dangerous.
Their slightly bloodshot eyes usually gave them away if one looked closely enough. That and the sores that tended to develop around the mouth. If all else failed, shoot first and ask questions later. His dead companions taught him the importance of caution. As he thought back on the Mohawk camp, he questioned if their paranoia led directly to their demise. He’d only hooked up with them a few weeks before meeting Roger, Tom, and Kelly. He'd aligned himself with the wrong group. Roger’s group still breathed.
Lost in thought, Saul missed the man watching him pass from inside an abandoned vehicle. The man picked up a Walkie-Talkie from the car seat and said, “Take him, Stephen.”
A quarter-mile down the road the first crackle of gunfire sounded as a bullet hit Saul squarely in the shoulder. The force threw him backwards. Losing control of the reins, he tumbled off the side of the horse and hit the ground hard. The second bullet came shortly thereafter. A perfect head shot. Saul’s journey abruptly ended.
Stephen walked up and used his foot to push Saul over. He took a good look at his face. “Shit,” he said sourly. “It’s Saul.” He spit next to Saul’s head. “That sucks.”
Saul was part of a group that passed through a week earlier warning of Plaguers. The group left a vial of antidote, but no one bothered to use it. They didn’t believe in the new infection. Unfortunately for them, it started taking root a few days after Saul's group left.
The man from the car approached from down the road. “You got him good!” he yelled loudly.
“Yeah, I know, but it was Saul!” Stephen yelled back.
“I know. I saw him pass!”
“What the fuck, Marty? You knew and you told me to shoot him?”
“You needed the practice!” Marty stated with a chuckle as he walked up.
Stephen cracked a smile. “Asshole. It’s not like you’re some perfect shot.”
Holding a rifle by his side, Marty raised it a few inches and put two more slugs into Saul’s body at point blank range. Saul’s body briefly jumped from the impact.
“There. That was a perfect shot.”
Not to be outdone, Stephen lifted the sniper rifle and put a bullet through Saul’s left eye. “Two can play that game, moron.”
“Yeah, well let’s see how you do with a knife!” Marty pulled out a large hunting knife and bent down by the body.
“No, you don’t!” yelled Stephen. “He’s my kill! I get first dibs!”
The men exchanged barbs for a few minutes before Marty backed off.
“Fine! Next time I’m sniper.”
Stephen went to work with his own knife, carving around the skull. He peeled the hair back and removed Saul’s scalp. He then pulled out a boning knife and sawed through the skull. “I get the brains,” he said as he peered up at Marty with a grin. "I love brains."
“Fine with me. Probably got bullet fragments in ‘em now, ya idiot. I want thigh meat, anyway.”
Two days earlier, at the same spot in San Marcos, Texas, a party of seven trespassed down their road. On foot, the trespassers were heavily armed. As Marty watched, though, something felt different about them. He'd radioed Stephen and told him to lower his weapon. Within minutes they'd all been standing around laughing, getting to know each other.
Marty wasn’t sure why he'd spared them. He'd felt a connection. They were now part of their group. Maybe it the same look in the eyes…
Yvette agreed to watch the boys for an hour. It gave Jade a chance to get in some much-needed exercise. At the training center, she bobbed around a heavy bag, peppering it with jabs before throwing a few strong combinations. She flicked her right leg high at the bag, smacking it at head level. She was twenty minutes into a good session.
“Impressive,” Roger said from behind her. Leaning against the adobe wall, he was enjoying the shade. Jade swung around, surprised. “How long you been here?” she asked.
“A few minutes. I didn’t want to disturb your concentration. You got some nice moves.”
Jade looked at him suspiciously. She knew he must be one of the newcomers. “And who are you?”
“Name’s Roger.”
She recalled the name from Mace.
“Jade,” she answered, keeping her figurative guard up. “Do you make it a habit to spy on women?”
“I only spy on the pretty ones,” he said lightheartedly, taken by her looks. He instantly regretted the response, realizing he might lose his head if not careful. “I didn’t mean to spy, really. I was just looking for some shade and admired your moves. You’ve obviously got some boxing experience. I’m guessing some Kenpo and Jujitsu as well.”
“Impressive,” Jade replied, as she wiped sweat off her brow with the back of her glove. She looked him over. “You fight?”
“Used to. Used to teach as well. Taekwondo.”
Jade grew more interested. “I always loved the style. The kicks are amazing.”
“You’ve got some nice footwork as well.” Roger smiled uneasily. “Where’d you learn?”
“Aberdeen. Little Dojo outside town.”
“No kidding? I grew up in Bismark.” Roger said, a bit excited at the connection.
The location perked her up. “My mom had relatives there. I got a chance to go once when I was a teenager.”
“Really?” After a few seconds he asked, “Were you adopted?” He felt uncomfortable immediately for asking. He didn’t want to say something he’d regret. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t mean to pry.”
“That’s okay,” Jade answered, intrigued. “How’d you guess?”
“You said your mom had relatives there. I thought you would’ve said I or we. Plus, their aren't that many exotic families in North Dakota.”
“Pretty sharp, Roger,” Jade said, genuinely impressed. “I’m surprised you’ve been allowed to just walk around freely. What gives?”
Knowing he should answer carefully, Roger said, “Well, we’ve been given a chance to prove ourselves.”
Jade raised her eyebrows. “That doesn’t happen often. I would have thought the commotion this morning would have changed that.”
“We were just traveling together. We had no idea they were going to run,” Roger answered quickly. “Mace asked us to stay and I agreed.”
Jade scrutinized him carefully. She knew most of the story but wanted to hear what he had to say. “Mace doesn’t ask anyone to stay. What makes you so special?”
Roger took a small step backwards as he grew more uncomfortable. “I really don’t know. I guess he just thought we might fit in.” Needing to be careful what he said, he also wanted to get a feel for how much danger they were in. He took a chance and asked quietly, “What’s it like here?”
“We stay safe,” Jade answered as she tried to read behind his eyes. “What do you really want to know, Roger?”
He didn’t expect her to be that direct. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I want to know if we’re going to die here.”
A small group of boys suddenly entered the training area and spotted him. They headed straight in his direction. Roger saw Bowie in front and said quickly to Jade, “I just get the feeling we may not last that long.” Turning towards the boys, he waited until they were within a few feet.
“I don’t want any trouble, Bowie,” Roger said passively as he lifted his hands up.
Bowie smirked back and was about to taunt when Jade spoke up quietly from behind Roger. “Bowie, he’s a guest. Let’s give him a chance.”
At the sound of her voice, Bowie’s look changed. He eyed Roger for a second then moved past. The boys all followed. “Sure thing, Jade.” They went straight to the weight section and didn’t look back.
“Who are you here?” Roger asked inquisitively as he watched them go. He couldn’t believe how easily they'd dispersed.
“Mace’s partner,” she said. Roger turned back towards her and nervously made eye contact. His first thought was what Mace might do if he saw them talking.
She read his mind. “He told you about his condition. He struggles with the darkness. He thinks you might be able to help him.”
Roger wasn’t sure what to say. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Try,” she said quietly. “Please, just try.” Admitting the need for help, Jade felt a pit of despair grow in her belly. Something needed to change. She'd grown so accustomed to this life she'd buried any thoughts for a better one. She loved them all fiercely: Her children, the orphans, Mace, everyone. They were all her family. She'd die for every one of them.
When the infection first started taking root, Mace described in the tiniest detail the changes coming over him. At first it brought them closer. They shared numerous tears as they held each other, worrying about how his condition might affect the camp, their life, their children...
"I can't bear the thought of losing you," Mace confessed a few months after being bitten. She could see the desperation in his eyes. They'd just discovered the Alamo. Already fortified by another group, the infected somehow found a way in and took it over. By the time Mace found it, all that was left was the evidence of a slaughter.
Lying on an old mattress on the floor of the officer's quarters, Mace had faced her with Jason sleeping soundly in-between them. "My heart," he'd said, "it doesn't feel the same. I'm losing all feeling."
Grabbing his hand, Jade squeezed it as she gazed into his eyes. "We'll get through this. We have to. I'll just love you harder."
Mace had looked away. "I'll never hurt you." He couldn't maintain eye contact. "Or any of the kids. That much I promise."
Squeezing his hand harder, Jade had read the fear and pain in his expression. "I know you won't," she'd replied, her own fear increasing. She tried to stay strong and calm.
"I feel this pull," he'd continued. "It's dark: Like pitch black. It's trying to take me over." Staring at her again, he could actually feel his heart twist a little colder. "I'm not going to be able to lead us for long," he'd admitted. He'd squeezed her hand so hard it began to hurt. She didn't react, staying completely focused on his face. "I am going to keep anyone and anything from ever getting in here, J," he'd stated. The thought of that role gave him back some feeling of control. "That's going to be my mission. No one will ever hurt any of us again."
As he said the words, the thirst for violence began to surface. If he couldn't beat his condition, he would use it as best he could to protect them all.
"I believe in you," she'd said, "and I'll always be yours." She could no longer hold in her fear, and tears formed and slowly spilled over. "I'll always be yours," she'd repeated quietly. It would be the last time they would make love tenderly.
As Mace grew darker, he spoke to her about his condition less often, his guilt and fear over his own inner feelings making him pull back. He couldn't share with her the details.
Watching him grow closer with Lisa, Jade felt her heart rip open like a scab yanked off a wound. She loved them both fiercely, but felt like an outsider as their bond strengthened and hers and Mace's weakened. It was the loneliest feeling in the world.
Completely spent, Tom was covered in sweat, his head still fuzzy from the pot. Lying on his back on Lisa’s bed, he needed more than a few minutes break. Lisa fondled him from the side, still wanting more. When he didn’t respond right away, she climbed on top and straddled him. “One more time,” she whispered in his ear as she pulled on him, feeling for movement.
“I don’t know if I have anything left,” Tom said weakly. “It’s been six times. That’s like a record for me. Can’t we just talk for a little while?”
Lisa was baked enough not to get angry. His response, or lack thereof, actually stuck her as funny. She wasn’t exactly a guy magnet, but when men were around, they were always more interested in sex than she was. Now that she'd wanted some, she found one that wanted to talk. She rolled off and lay on her back. “What do you want to talk about?”