Salamander

by Harley Hanna

  Chapter 11

  I walk down the narrow corridors, yet again, weaving and bobbing. I already missed the outside, the small walkways and stagnant air was getting to me. I had a feeling we’d be outside soon enough after the meeting.

  I made my way to the Mess Hall, the same way I’d done so many times before. This could be the last meeting we ever had, but that was worst case scenario.

  I pushed open the doors, revealing everyone was already there, expect Sam. She was oddly absent from the meeting. I took my seat next to Dardian, hoping he was out of whatever funk he’d been.

  “Now that you’re here, we can start.” Jack said.

  “What about Sam?” I said. I didn’t like her very much, but I didn’t want her to feel left out.

  “I haven’t seen her all day, so I’m not sure she’s coming tonight.” Jack said. “Anyways, the reason we’re all here tonight is because we need a plan. We have the pieces, but now we need to use them. Anyone have any ideas?” He said, leaving it to the group to decide the actions.

  We were all silent for moment, not wanting to jump first and look bad. Tim finally spoke, ending the silence.

  “Well, why do we have to make some sort of trap? That can’t be the only plan right?”

  “You’re right, it isn’t the only plan. It just seems like the one that has the most likelihood of working.” Jack said.

  “I was thinking about it last night, I realized that this is going to put a lot of people in danger. I mean, people are going to be leading him and distracting that thing? He could easily catch up to most of us.” Dardian said, looking down at the table.

  “It’s true, it’s very dangerous, but this is the only way. This is the only way we keep living, the only way we can end all this.” Jack said. “But you make a good point. We will need our best people on the distraction team. We’ll need people who’ve run from him before, one of which sits with us now.” Jack said, looking at me.

  “Jesus, you just don’t stop throwing her under the bus do you?” Riley said, standing up for me.

  “It’s fine Riley, I spearheaded this whole thing, I should probably be at the front.” I responded. “I’ll be the head of the distraction team Jack.”

  “Well we’re with you then.” Tim said.

  “Yeah he’s right.” Dardian said. “We’ve all been through too much. We’ll do it together.”

  “Thanks guys.” I said, with a smile. I hadn’t stopped to realize they’d been with me this whole time.

  “Well, it’s settled, you will all distract him, dragging him away from the Cross.” Jack pulled out a map, laying it on the table. “There is a clearing a few hundred yards from here. That’s where you’ll lead him, that’s where the trap will be.” He started drawing red circles all over the map.

  “We’ll plant C4 here, here and here.” He said, as he pointed to the red circles. “At the precise moment he comes out of the tree line, you will send a signal through your walkie-talkie an-“

  The doors of the Mess Hall burst open. Sam pushed through, rushing into the room with her blonde hair in a ruffle. She looked distraught, her pants were ripped and her jacket was halfway off.

  “JACK!” she screamed, running towards the table. Everyone stood up as she fell into Jack. “He’s coming, we need to leave now. I’m sorry, please… I’m sorry.” She blurted the words through tears and screams.

  “What are you talking about Sam?” Jack said, shaking her shoulders in his hands.

  “That thing! He’s coming here, we led him here.” Sam said, her body going limp.

  “You led him here? What are you saying Sam?” Jack said, trying to get information from her quickly.

  “Me and Tony…He wanted to see the place where Carol died. I told him not to…The thing was there, and he tried to attack it.” Tears were streaming down her face, she was blubbering now, barely able to speak. “He followed me….I’m sorry.” She said, just before she fell unconscious.

  “Jesus Christ. Jack, Dardian, grab her and take her to the bunks. Get everyone and evacuate now. You all need to go, you too Riley and Karia. Head for the clearing.” Jack said.

  “What about you?” I said. “What about the plan?”

  “This is the plan Karia. You head for the fields, he’ll follow and when he comes near here, I’ll blow it all.” Jack said, heading for the weapons room.

  I chased him down the halls, trying to stop him. I yelled after him until he stopped running.

  “Jack you can’t do this. Come on, you can use a fuse, we can do something else, we can take him out another time. You don’t have to do this.” I said, desperately trying to get him to come with me.

  “We don’t have the time for any of that Karia. This is it, right here and right now.” He said as he grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes. “You have to lead them now. This is the end of everything I’ve done these past five years. But, this is the beginning to what you will do forever. I believe in you Karia, lead them in the right direction.” Jack said, he hugged my body close, saying this one final goodbye. He stared at me and smiled, running his hand through his long black hair.

  He walked off, heading for the weapon room, leaving me alone in the corridor by myself. It happened before I could do anything, I had no control. He wouldn’t listen and this is just what had to happen. I stood there, crying and not wanting to move. I wanted to go back to my room and sleep but I couldn’t.

  People started flooding the halls. They flowed out from the dorms and headed toward the hatch. Tim and Dardian were at the head of the group, leading the charge out of the Cross. I joined them, wiping my tears and pulling the gun out of my waistband.

  “Is he coming?” Dardian said, looking hopefully at me.

  I shook my head, wiping the final tears from my eyes. There couldn’t be any more after this, this was the day I turned into their leader, and they couldn’t see me cry.

  We opened the hatch, filtering everyone out. I popped above, pushing through the surface and letting my lungs breathe in the fresh air. I pulled up Tim and Dardian, who started helping people get out of the Cross as fast as possible.

  I started to hear the sound I thought I’d never hear again. The thundering steps, one after another. They weren’t faint this time, and they weren’t slow. They were becoming louder quick.

  The thrum of his footsteps continued, I could hear the trees collapsing under his feet. He was close, and we didn’t have the time for this. Tim and Dardian got the final people out, everyone was running in a panic towards the fields. Once the last person was out, the three of us headed with the group and ran. I ran as fast as I could, not looking back, not wanting to see his face.

  I wanted to see the Cross one last time, the only home I’d known for these past five years. But I couldn’t, all that was left there was terror and sadness. All that was left was Jack, the one who led us, and the one who saved us.

  We ran and ran, hearing the footsteps behind us. Eventually we reached the clearing, pushing through the tree line and revealing an open field that went on for miles. People continued running after we left the forest, but I stopped. I looked back at the trees, staring above the tops of the evergreens. I could see his head poke through the top, and I could faintly make out the blue shine of his eyes underneath the shortest of trees.

  His footsteps grew louder and louder now that I stopped. But I knew I’d be safe now. I knew Jack would come through for us. The pounding continued, one after another slamming the ground around me, and shaking my body.

  I waited and I waited. Boom, Boom, Boom. They came again and again and again, until there was one final crash. The explosion sent a shockwave through the forest that reached the clearing. My hair rippled in the wind from the blast. The footsteps stopped, all was silent. I heard a creaking in the forest, and the beast toppled.

  I saw his head disappear in a cloud of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, he was gone. After the explosion, everyone finally stopped. They
stared making their way to the tree line, and once the group had reached me, I walked into the forest.

  I made my way through the broken down trees, stepping over the logs and fallen plants. I sifted through the rubble of the forest that was just here. I continued on until I reached a clearing, one that that looked like my home, it wasn’t. Not anymore, because now it was altered.

  A patch of trees was cleared out of this part of the forest, the giant’s body laid on the ground in front of me. I could see the length of him, and when the explosion hit, it caved in the Cross, which caused his body to collapse into the bunker.

  His legs were detached from his torso, and the shining blue gems that sat in his head, were gray. A giant crater lay where his legs should’ve been, it lay where the Cross should’ve been. Where my life was, where Jack was, where everything was.

  The things that caused so many deaths lay dead in the forest, and I couldn’t be happy. I couldn’t be sad either, I couldn’t be anything. Everyone behind me either sobbing or laughing, or having some sort of breakdown, but I couldn’t. I had to lead them now.

  I walked closer and closer to the enormous being, running my hand along its face. I’d never seen it this close, it was magnificent. I grabbed onto its shoulder and hoisted myself up, I crawled onto its back, standing up now and walking onto the back of its head.

  People were staring now, taking a momentary break from their panic and relief. Tim and Dardian looked at me as well, looking the most curious. I saw Riley staring from the crowd, holding Sam in her arms.

  I stood up straight, staring around at the crater that sat in front of us.

  “This is what victory looks like. This is what the end looks like, the end of the very long night. This is everything we’ve ever waited for. This day will be known across all of Earth as the day that we started to rebuild civilization.” Everyone was staring now, but not with curiosity, but hope.

  “A great man gave his life today, so that we could live, and now we will. We will live in his name, and in his honor. I didn’t slay this beast, none of us slayed this beast. Jack Perry slayed this beast, and he will forever live on in our memory.” I said. Starting to get louder, shouting a battle cry. It wasn’t a cry for war, it was a cry of hope, a cry of peace, and a cry of freedom.

  We shouted his name into the night, sharing stories of Jackson perry. He led us into the world that would become. He led us into the beginning.