The Rising Ash Saga | Book 2 | Falling Embers

by Westerman, R. G.

  “But she asked me my name, and when I told her, she gestured for everyone to lower their weapons. All of this was just for effect, I’ll bet. Nearly everything she does looks like a production.”

  “To let you know she’s in charge.”

  “Exactly.” He glanced out the window. “But once I got in with them, spent some time with them, I learned there were far less than they used to be. They took me in, fed me, the whole deal. But once I figured out what had been happening, I knew I had to find you.”

  “What’s been happening then?” I ask.

  “People are being taken.” He stops, his eyes reflecting some witnessed horror. “I don’t know how, but she’s controlling them. The doctor.”

  “Tell me,” I whisper, trying my best to keep my voice steady.

  “The current theory is, she’s trying to recreate whatever happened when they made you.”

  I wince at his words, but he is not wrong. The implications make my stomach turn.

  “People have been disappearing for weeks now, always girls. Always teenagers and young women. Like you, Ash.”

  “How do you know this is her doing?” I ask.

  “At first we didn’t. We thought a few of them might have run off or something like that. But it kept happening. Always at night.

  “The first one gone was Jessa Turner. She’s always been a bit of a rebel. Fairlight thought she’d run away. Jessa’s mother was upset of course. We all felt bad, but no one really took it serious until Angela went missing. Then Sadie, then Beth. We’ve had about one disappearance a week.

  “How long has it been since the first girl went missing?”

  “That would have been about two months ago,” he says, counting out the time on his fingertips. “Now it’s not just the girls though. It’s everyone. They’ve taken all the children older than ten, and nearly half of the adults. We’ve lost nearly three-fourths of the tribe. And we can’t get away from them, no matter how far we go. Those creatures have figured out how to climb the mountains.”

  “They’re being taken by zombies?” Olivia asks. “Have you seen it?”

  Ezekiel nods, lifting his face towards me, anguished eyes locked on mine. “Yes. They got past our night watch. We set up camp to circle our most vulnerable, but they still got through.”

  “How can that be?” I say.

  “I don’t know, but I saw them. They move with purpose. They’re fast, too. They’re not like the mindless beings we’re familiar with. This is a whole new monster. They’re horrifying to look at because they move as if they have thought.” He gazes out the window towards the west. He continues, “It’s only a matter of time before they cross the mountains. You’re not safe here. You’re not safe anywhere, anymore.”

  I look at him, incredulous. “You can’t be serious.”

  He nods. “Will you help us?”

  Ezekiel and I have our differences. Even now, part of me thinks it’s not fair for him to ask me. I’ve gotten away. That part of my life is over. Or at least it was. But even so, seeing the desperation etched on his face, the horror in his words… How can I turn my back on them now? I turn to the others standing at the edge of the room.

  “Could you guys give us a minute?” I ask.

  I don’t respond until Ezekiel and I are the only two left in the small room. “I’ll come with you,” I say. “But it’s not going to be what you want me to do. I can help you relocate, find a safe space. Maybe we can bring them here to settle in SeaHaven…”

  “She’ll never go for it.”

  “It might be your only option. At least for a little while. Besides, if she’s controlling them somehow, there’s really only one thing I can do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m going to find her. I’ll find Doctor Donovan and confront her.”

  “Confront her? You have to fight the zombies, Ash. You’re the only one who has the ability to overpower them, to stop them. I don’t see how having a chat with Doctor Donovan will help anything.”

  “She has to see what she is doing is wrong, Ezekiel. I could fight them, but then what? They’ll just keep coming. They outnumber us. I can’t stop all of them. I have to go to the source, which happens to be her.”

  “And what if she doesn’t? Then what are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to give her a chance. One chance. Then, I’m going to burn that place to the ground. That’s what I’m going to do.”

  Four

  Leaving the infirmary, I head back to the fire. There, I find Thorn stoking it with a stick to get the blaze going again. In the eastern horizon, a thin orange line heralds the morning sun.

  “There’s salmon in the smokehouse if you’re hungry,” Thorn says. “But the coffee is hot.”

  “I’ll eat later. But I will have coffee.” I sit down, lifting the boiler kettle from the side of the coals. Grabbing one of the tin mugs, I pour myself a cup of coffee.

  “What did he say?” Thorn asks, keeping his gaze on the fire.

  “He’s asking me to come back. They need my help.”

  “So do you think you’ll go?” I know it is not really a question.

  “I have to,” I say.

  “Why do you have to?”

  “You know why, Thorn. I can’t let her keep doing these things. Someone has to stop her.”

  “Why does that someone have to be you?”

  “Who else would it be?” I reply.

  “What if you didn’t go?” Thorn says.

  “Just what are you getting at, Thorn?” I say with some annoyance.

  He focused his eyes on the fire, flames flickering, casting shadows against his face. “Just… that you’re here now. It’s safe here.”

  I keep to myself the details of what Ezekiel had told me. I haven’t yet decided how much I want to tell him about the sentient zombies.

  Sentient. How ironic.

  “You were safe in the compound,” I say. “But you were ready to leave there because it was the right thing to do. How is this different?”

  “None of us were safe in the compound!” he snaps.

  “Exactly,” I reply. “And who was in charge there? Dr. Donovan. She’s dangerous. She needs to be stopped.”

  He shakes his head, brushing the errant hair off of his forehead. “She’s not dangerous to you though, Ash. She’s there. You’re here.”

  I rub my hand against my cheeks. “Look. I didn’t want to tell you all of this. Ezekiel says she’s controlling them somehow. She’s making them kidnap members of the tribe.”

  “What’s she doing with them?” Thorn asks.

  “I don’t know. I really don’t, but I can guarantee it’s not good. He says she’s controlling them somehow. The zombies are stronger. They can go farther and move faster. And it’s only a matter of time before they figure out a way over the mountains.”

  He tosses the stick into the fire, now leaping with hot orange flames against the background of the ocean sunrise. “Then we go somewhere else,” he says. “We go farther south. Maybe we hitch a ride to the flotilla when they go. I don’t know. Something.”

  “Thorn, I get it. Really, I do. But if we’re not safe here, we’re not safe anywhere. And we have to think about everyone. Clarice, Simeon. Rose. What about them? If we want to rebuild, we have to make it a clean start. And that won’t happen unless someone stops Donovan. Otherwise, we’ll just be running for the rest of our lives.”

  He stares hard into the fire, sipping at his coffee. “I know you’re right,” he murmurs. “I just don’t like it.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “What? No,” I reply.

  “Why not?” He glances at me, the morning sun shadowed by the fringe of hair across forehead.

  “Look, I’ll talk with Simeon and Clarice. We’ll decide who is best to go with me. But I’m not taking anyone with me who hasn’t grown up out there. You and Rose grew up in the compound, behind thick walls which kept you safe. At least
from them.”

  He glares at me with burning eyes.

  “I don’t mean-- Look, it’s not that you can’t take care of yourself. But when you have to defend against them, over time you develop kind of a second nature about them.”

  “I’m sure some more than others,” he mutters.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “No, Ash… I didn’t mean… Look, you don’t have to go and save the world all the time. I mean…” His expression softens. “I like the way you are here.”

  His words surprise me. My desire to not get into an argument wins out. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I mean, sometimes you smile since we’ve arrived. I like seeing that.”

  “Is that so?” I chide him by twisting my face into a clownish grin. “I’m sorry if my face was too busy killing zombies to stop and smile all the time.”

  “Ash, stop it. You know what I mean.”

  “What do you mean?” I bare my teeth and bug my eyes at him.

  “I mean,” he snaps, “I like seeing you happy!”

  I fall silent and we watch the sunrise, a fiery medallion rising over the rough-surfaced sea.

  “Who do you think you’ll take with you?” he asks after a long while.

  “I’m not sure yet. Ezekiel is taking me as far as the tribe, so he’ll be leaving with me at least.”

  “You know, he didn’t grow up with them either.”

  I shoot Thorn a side glance. “I’m pretty sure Ezekiel was training for the zombie apocalypse long before anybody knew we would have one.”

  Thorn nods with a light chuckle. “You may have a point there.”

  I reach down and pick up a handful of sand, letting it flow through my fingers. “I thought Alma, for sure. She’s strong. She would be a real asset out there. There’s a few of the others. I might talk to Simeon about who has experience with them.”

  “What about Rose?”

  “Rose is out. She’s the same as you. I need to teach the two of you how to deal with them. I mean, really deal with them. No offense, but you’re both too soft to be of any use out there.”

  “Oh, I’m soft, am I?” He grins and pinches me lightly on the shoulder.

  “Yeah, you are,” I reply, returning the pinch, but a little bit harder.

  “Hey, ow!” He tackles me, throwing us both off the stump and tumbling onto the sand. Almost on instinct, I shift my body weight to toss him over onto his back, my legs straddling his hips and feet hooked around his legs to pin him in place.

  “Gotcha,” I say evenly. “You can’t even fight off a girl. What makes you think you’re any match for a zombie.” He laughs, and I have to admit the way his eyes glow in the rising sun makes me want to…

  “I was holding back,” he says. “I didn’t want to hurt you,” he replies with a slow grin.

  “Oh, I’m sure. So, if this happened…” I dig the toe of my boot into his leg, “you’d be able to defend yourself?”

  “Of course!” He gritted his teeth against the pressure.

  “What about this?” I pin his wrists down and lean forward. Gently, I nip at his face, catching the flesh of his cheek between my teeth but applying very little pressure. I finish the move with a little zombie growl.

  “Oh, I’ve been bit!” he calls, flailing about enough to throw my hands off. The shift of balance tips me over. I roll over onto my back, and he leans up next to me, our faces now inches from each other. The mood turns suddenly quiet.

  The sunlight catches through the edges of his amber eyes, turning them into fire. I feel the heat rising to my cheeks, despite myself.

  “See?” he murmurs softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead, the tips of his fingers tracing lightly against my cheek. “When you’re here, you get to be normal.”

  His words hit me like a punch in the stomach. Now my cheeks burn for a different reason. I push him away and scramble backwards to my feet, turning away so he can’t see my face.

  “Ash,” he calls after me. “Ash, wait.” I hear the immediate regret in his voice, but I don’t care.

  “I gotta go, Thorn,” I blurt out over my shoulder, scrambling to get away from him. “Some of us have a long hike in front of us.”

  He keeps calling out to me as I distance myself, but he doesn’t follow.

  Good. I don’t want him to.

  Ezekiel sleeps through most of the day, finally emerging from the infirmary just as the citizens gathered for the evening meal. He joins us, taking great pleasure in the food set out before us, the leftover wild boar, fresh crisp apples, and loaves of the hearty, earthen bread which Olivia was so fond of making. He bathed in the ocean after his meal, an exercise in refreshment more than cleanliness.

  As evening approaches, we congregate by the fire. Myself, Clarice and Simeon, Alma, Rose, Thorn, and Ezekiel.

  “We should leave at first light,” Ezekiel says, glancing towards the west. “We’ll need the daylight to cover more ground. If we go early, we can make it to the camp within the day.”

  Thorn keeps looking at me. We had not spoken since morning. I drag my boot through the sand, leaving a trench the width of my heel, but I don’t return his gaze.

  “What is it they want?” Clarice asks, speaking in her clear, clipped accent, making no pretense to hide her concern. “How is this something you cannot solve? Why do you need our Ash?”

  Ezekiel’s eyes flick towards me.

  “It’s okay,” I say. “They know.”

  “She can help us,” he explains. “Ash has the ability to stop these creatures, possibly even stop them for good. If that doesn’t happen soon, we could all be in danger.” He repeats to them the unfortunate events happening in the mountains, the missing children, the desperation of the tribe.

  “I don’t like it,” Clarice says, shaking her head. “These are the same people who held you hostage on your journey back.” She turns to Simeon. “How do we know they can be trusted?”

  “We have a common foe,” he replies softly. “We must help them if we can.”

  “Excuse me,” I interrupt their quiet conversation. “I don’t think it’s up to either one of you.”

  Everyone turns to look at me. Alma holds a gleam in her eye, one which I recognize. Out of everyone present, she is the only one I trust fully to be able to survive out there. I meet her gaze, and she gives me a slight nod.

  “Of course, I’ll go,” I say. “The good doctor and I have some unfinished business. I thought it had been taken care of before I came here, but obviously I was wrong.”

  “I’ll come,” Alma says, returning my gaze with her steely eyes. Rose looks at her with a wide, worried expression.

  “You’re under no obligation,” I say. “I know you have made a place here.”

  “Yes. And that’s all the more reason. Besides, I haven’t forgiven her for what happened to Travis.”

  She turns to Rose, sitting next to her with their fingers laced. “Go,” Rose says quietly. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

  I turn to Ezekiel. “I’m assuming you are well enough to show us the way to the encampment?”

  “Of course,” he replies with a wry smile.

  “Good, then we leave at first light.”

  I don’t much care for the idea of heading back over the mountains by foot. Ezekiel says he knows about a pass through the ridge which would shorten our trip by half a day.

  He promised he could lead us to the encampment where Fairlight and the rest stayed. We gather at the firepit before the sun comes up, myself, Ezekiel, and Alma.

  We wait for the others to come and see us off. Clarice wanted to give us each an amulet for luck. Rose came along with Alma, her face etched with sadness.

  I drag my heel through the sand, my thick boot leaving a foot-sized trench.

  “We’d better get on the road,” I say. “We need the daylight.”

  “Yeah. The encampment is about a day’s hike from here. If we leave within the next hour, we’ll get there before dark.”<
br />
  “Are they on this side?” I ask. “Fairlight’s camp, I mean? This side of the ridge.”

  “For now. They’re being careful to make sure they’re not being followed. They didn’t want to risk the only help available.”

  “Fair enough,” I say, but I stop listening. As the others ready their packs and prepare for the journey, I glance over to Thorn, lingering at the water’s edge a few meters away.

  He glances up as I approach, but I look away. I have my eye on the water’s edge. As we are about to embark on a long hike inland, I kick off my shoes and step out into the lapping wavelets. It feels good, and I won’t be feeling it for a while. I did not want to leave things between me and Thorn the way we did, but I don’t know what to say.

  We leave no more than an hour later, the three of us loaded up with goods. I have my crossbow strapped across my back, various pouches of food in my pack. Alma carries a similar setup, with the addition of a couple of blades tucked into her waist. Ezekiel has a shotgun strapped to his back, with strict orders from Simeon not to use it unless absolutely necessary.

  “The noise will attract them,” he said. “But we’re dealing with something we don’t know about, so I want you to have it, just in case.”

  I had not felt the pull since arriving here in SeaHaven. I don’t look forward to being around them again, even within a few miles I can feel them. I don’t like the part of me which wakes up when they’re around me.

  At least I have the ability to avoid them and fight them off when I need to. Maybe things would have gone differently if I’d been there. Abraham and Eden might have had a chance, but I wasn’t there.

  We walk in silence, stopping now and then for water and chatting now and then, about nothing much. Ezekiel keeps quiet most of the time, his famous scowl parked firmly on his face.

  “So what’s going on with you and Rose?” I ask Alma during one particularly dry stretch. Ezekiel had proceeded ahead by a few feet, so we had some relative privacy.