The Gamekeeper

by J Porteous

  The large tent which Jessica had been led to lay in front of me. It was a canvas-style military tent, and I could only guess as to where they had found it. I crept towards it, keeping low and glancing back at the fire occasionally. The chants and dancing were still continuing, although to a lesser degree. I could see the occasional shadows of tired cultists returning to their tents for the night.

  I pulled my hunting knife from my belt. I could only hope that Jessica was the only person in the tent. If not, then I would have to react fast. I placed a hand on the entrance flap and took a couple of deep breaths. I pulled the flap aside and dashed inside.

  It was even darker in the tent. My eyes struggled to pull out details in the lack of light, and I stumbled across something which was on the floor.

  ‘Who’s there?’

  It was Jessica’s voice, tainted with fear. I pushed my blade back into my belt and felt around in the darkness. ‘Jessica? Where are you?’

  ‘Gamekeeper?’ Her voice was closer now.

  ‘Yes,’ I replied.

  ‘I knew you’d come!’

  I grasped her hand in the darkness. She leapt towards me and wrapped her arms around me. I held her tight to my chest.

  ‘I knew you’d come for me, I just knew it!’

  There seemed like there was so much I wanted to say to her, but now was not the time. ‘We need to go. Have you got a coat? It’s freezing out there.’

  ‘Yes, I’ve still got the one you gave me.’

  ‘Good. Let’s go before someone finds us.’

  I clutched hold of Jessica’s hand and headed back towards the slither of light which breached the flap of the tent. I threw it open and dragged Jessica into the orange glow.

  ‘What are you doing with the Daughter?’

  My blood froze. I turned to see one of the cultists stood studying me, looking between myself and Jessica; all he had to do was shout and the whole camp would be upon us. ‘I-’

  A hand clasped around the cultist’s mouth, their eyes widening in panic and a small yelp of pain coming from them. They fell to the ground, collapsing in a heap. Prism stood in their place, gripping the bloodied knife in her hands.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, my voice tight in my throat.

  ‘Thank me later,’ she said. ‘Let’s get moving.’

  I dashed through the camp, keeping a good hold of Jessica. My worry of making too much noise was overridden by the worry of someone finding the dead cultist and the now empty tent. We dodged through the tents which littered the floor, some of the occupants rousing at the noise. I didn’t look back to see if they had figured out what was happening.

  I pushed Jessica ahead as we got to the hill. My body was aching, yearning to rest and heal, but we had to push on. She was younger, quicker, there was no point in me slowing her down if I didn’t have to.

  We scurried to the top of the hill and looked down on the camp. There were still bodies dancing around the fire, albeit less than when I had last checked. A shape came towards us in the darkness, scrabbling up the muddy slope.

  Prism had followed as quick as she could in our wake. I held a hand out and hauled her up as her feet slipped in the wet mud. She fell into me and I held her steady.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said breathlessly.

  ‘I should be thanking you,’ I replied. ‘If you hadn’t have come after me-’

  ‘Yeah, well let’s not think about that now.’ She glanced at Jessica, her eyes betraying the smile behind her scarf. ‘You’ve got one hell of a friend here.’

  Jessica simply stared down at the camp. A shout rose in the camp below, followed by others. The bodies who were dancing around the blaze became distracted, and they moved in the direction of what had been Jessica’s tent.

  ‘We need to get going,’ I said. ‘They’ll be combing the area now they know you’re gone.’ I held Jessica’s hand and we disappeared into the night once more.

  The angry shouts and sound of flames eventually disappeared, my heart relenting its assault against my ribcage. Prism lit her lantern where she had to, although we used it as sparingly as possible; we’d already outrun trouble tonight, we didn’t want to run into any more.

  Jessica kept a good pace, outdoing my own easily. I forced myself forward, sucking down ragged breaths as blisters rubbed raw in my boots. ‘They didn’t hurt you, did they?’

  Jessica glanced back. ‘No,’ she said. ‘They didn’t. They said I was special. The man, the Father, he kept calling me the Daughter of Flame.’

  ‘We know,’ Prism said. ‘We heard him at the fire.’

  ‘They weren’t mean to me at all. They saved me from the fat man at Hope.’

  In the chaotic twenty-four hours, I had forgotten about Harvey and his thugs. ‘I know it seems like they saved you,’ I said. ‘But they don’t want you, they want what you represent. They think you’re some kind of gift, a token.’

  ‘They said that they are waiting on the Mother of Flame to come now. They said they want the family to be complete.’

  Prism interrupted. ‘Did they say anything about Hope?’

  Jessica nodded. ‘They said they were going to make all the bad people there go away.’

  I frowned, not at what Jessica was saying, but how she was saying it. She almost spoke as if she was agreeing with them. ‘You do know they’re the bad guys, right? You saw what they did at Community.’

  ‘I know. I had bad dreams about it the other night.’

  ‘Okay,’ I replied. ‘I just wanted to make sure.’

  ‘Are we bad people?’

  ‘What? No. Why do you say that?’

  Jessica shrugged. ‘Because we’re from Hope.’

  ‘Not everyone there is bad,’ I replied. ‘Most people are just like you and me, just trying to make the best of things.’

  Jessica sighed. ‘I guess you’re right. Plus, my dad is there too, and he’s not a bad person.’

  I shrugged off the feeling of guilt which came with those words. I had promised myself to tell her the truth, but with the events of today, I couldn’t stomach any more upheaval. I decided to wait until we got back to safety before I told her. ‘Exactly.’

  ‘And your friend seems okay too.’

  I glanced at Prism. ‘She is. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have found you.’

  We walked in silence for several minutes before Prism spoke again. ‘When they said they were going to make the bad people go away, did they say when?’

  ‘Tomorrow.’

  I shared a look of worry with Prism. We needed to get back to Hope as soon as possible to tell them what was coming. They might have had big gates and solid walls, but if a unified force assaulted Hope there was no telling what the outcome would be. They knew the weak-points, where to strike.

  We trudged onwards through the darkness, my thoughts keeping me company. I couldn’t get the visions of the camp out of my head; the huge pyre, the chanting, and the cries of rage in the distance when they realised Jessica was missing. I could only hope that their rage would not make them march on Hope earlier than they had planned.

  Chapter Eleven

  The grey light of the approaching dawn made itself known. The thick darkness of the night fell away, revealing a bleak and cold world once more. Hope sparkled as we approached, an isolated streak of colour in a bland landscape.

  Prism let out a relieved sigh. ‘It’s good to see home again.’

  ‘Well it might not be here much longer,’ I said. ‘Who’s going to be the best person to go to?’

  ‘Warden Daniels,’ she said, a taint of bitterness to her words. ‘For all he’s done for Hope. He overlooks crime and smuggling easy enough, but there should be no way he can overlook this. I don’t like it, but I don’t see we have choice.’

  ‘If you think it’s the best way forward.’

  We pushed ourselves onwards, all of us exhausted and aching. I limped along behind the other two, frequently stopping to give myself a rest. My chest heaved with pained breaths as I leant aga
inst a leafless tree. ‘Keep going,’ I said. ‘I’ll catch up.’

  Prism came back towards me, pulling my arm over her shoulder and pulling me back onto my feet. ‘No. We do this together.’

  Jessica braced my other side, more as a token gesture than of any actual help. ‘You helped me, now we can help you.’

  Our pace slowed, but my body thanked me for it. My aching legs seemed relieved, the dull pains and throbs which had run rampant were now reduced to something much more manageable.

  We arrived at the gates of Hope. Prism let go of me and hammered on the large doors.

  ‘Open up! Come on!’

  The small slot fell open and a pair of scrutinising eyes glared out at us. ‘Citizen passes?’

  ‘We need to speak to the Warden. Now. Hope’s in danger.’

  The man on the other side of the slot sniffed. ‘Not what I asked, was it?’

  ‘Oh for fuck’s sake.’ Prism rummaged around in her coat, retrieving her pass and pushing it up against the slot. ‘You fucking happy now? Let us in!’

  ‘What about your friends?’

  Prism hissed in frustration. I pulled out my pass, and Jessica handed me hers. We showed them to the judging eyes at the door.

  ‘Alright,’ he said. ‘Come on in.’

  The door groaned open. Prism grabbed the man on the other side of the door with a threatening grip, his stern eyes widening with surprise. ‘Where’s Warden Daniels? We need to see him now.’

  ‘Warden Daniels is busy.’

  I opened my coat and let his eyes fall over my shotgun. ‘She asked you a question.’

  ‘Oh,’ the man said, not taking his eyes from the battered barrels. ‘Like that is it?’ He pointed to the door we had been sent for processing. ‘He’s in there.’

  Prism pushed the guard back, sending him thumping onto his ass in the churned mud. ‘Thanks.’

  I staggered along behind Prism. She powered ahead, Jessica following swiftly behind her. I almost smirked to myself. Two headstrong peas in a pod. I’ve got my work cut out for me.

  Prism bashed the door with her fist, possibly too forceful to be considered a knock, then entered. I ushered Jessica in and closed the door firmly behind me, its rusted hinges creaking in protest. Warden Daniels was sat at his desk, thumbing through a selection of papers. Deputy Thwaite was sat beside him, checking over the papers he passed to her.

  Warden Daniels looked up from his desk, anger crowding his eyes. ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’ He glanced at me, an eyebrow lifting. ‘You?’ he said, his eyes turning to Jessica. ‘You found the girl then?’ He looked back down at his paperwork. ‘If you’re wondering if we found anything from earlier, the report should be ready next week.’

  ‘I’m not here about the report,’ I said. ‘It’s to do with who took the girl.’

  Warden Daniels glanced up momentarily. ‘Oh?’

  ‘There’s at least a hundred of them,’ Prism blurted out before I had the chance to speak. ‘Maybe more. It was dark, we couldn’t see. But they are coming here, to burn this place to the ground.’

  Warden Daniels calmly set his paperwork down and sat back in his chair, folding his arms. ‘A hundred, you say? And who are these they?’

  ‘They’re a cult,’ I said. ‘They call themselves the Children of Ash.’

  ‘This again?’ Warden Daniels laughed. ‘They can call themselves whatever they want, they’re not getting inside of Hope. Have you seen the size of the walls out there? Unless they’ve got a battering ram, they’re not getting in. Now, I suggest you stay inside the city where it’s safe and wait for them to blow past. Nobody gets into Hope without my say so.’

  ‘Is that how they managed to burn Harvey and his thugs?’ I said. ‘How they managed to get Jessica out of the city?’

  Warden Daniels’ expression darkened. ‘Now listen here. I’ve got just over a thousand souls to look after here, understand? I’m not about to induce a panic for a threat which I haven’t seen a shred of evidence for.’

  ‘They’ve burnt smaller communities,’ I said, placing my hands on the desk. ‘They build pyres and then they burn everyone who lived there to death. Women, children, they don’t care. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.’

  ‘You’ll have to excuse me, but I get told a lot of things by the people wandering in and out of Hope,’ Warden Daniels said. ‘But rest assured, no one is getting in here. Even if they did, the guards are here to help.’

  Prism slammed her fist into the desk. ‘You don’t understand. There are tunnels beneath the old mall, maintenance shafts. They lead all the way from outside of Hope’s walls into the city itself. They’ve come through them before, they’ll come through them again.’

  Warden Daniels sighed and massaged the brow of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. ‘Deputy Thwaite, please see them out.’

  ‘You piece of shit,’ Prism said. ‘We travelled all night to make sure we told you before they arrived, and now you’re doing nothing?’

  I grabbed her arm as she lunged across the desk. ‘Don’t do anything you’ll regret.’

  She looked back at me with gritted teeth, then shrugged me loose. ‘Well,’ she said, looking back at Warden Daniels, who was face down in his paperwork again. ‘We tried.’

  Deputy Thwaite stood from her seat and ushered us towards the door. ‘Let’s make this peaceful, shall we?’

  I stumbled back out into the light of day, Deputy Thwaite’s firm hand pushing me forward. We stepped out into the small courtyard we had initially arrived in, the place we thought we had found salvation. Looks can be deceiving, it seems.

  Deputy Thwaite placed a hand on my shoulder. ‘I’ll take a look at those tunnels, just to put your mind at ease. How does that sound?’

  I nodded. It wasn’t what we were looking for, but if it could prove they needed to close the old tunnels then I was all for it. I glanced at Prism. ‘Can you show her where it is?’

  Prism blew out a frustrated sigh. ‘Can do.’

  I couldn’t help but feel deflated. We’d tracked the cult all the way to their camp, somehow managed to rescue Jessica, and trudged through the night to warn Hope, only to find our own fire put out by a damp reception. I just had to hope that Prism showing Deputy Thwaite the old tunnels would help. A hand tugged my sleeve.

  Jessica looked up at me. ‘Why don’t they believe us?’

  ‘Sometimes people don’t want to see the truth,’ I said. ‘They like to think they are safe behind their walls. If someone wants to get in that badly they’ll always find a way.’

  ‘Like when the Father came for me?’

  ‘Yes. Or when those thugs broke into our room.’

  Jessica held a hand up to my face, pressing her soft hand against my bruises. ‘They really hurt you.’

  ‘They did.’

  ‘And you still came after me?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I told your dad I’d look after you, didn’t I?’

  Her brief smile gave way to a look of concern. ‘Do you think my dad is still here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I said. I crouched and held her firmly. ‘Look, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to stay here, not with the bad people after us. They’re coming here, and if they find you again, then I don’t think that’s going to work out well for any of us.’

  Jessica’s eyes welled with tears. ‘But, my dad? He could still be here, we need to find him so he can come with us.’

  This is it. Tell her the truth, you owe it to her. She won’t leave if she thinks he’s still here. ‘Look, Jessica. I need you to be strong for me. You can do that, can’t you?’

  She nodded at my words.

  ‘Your dad, you said he was missing for a few days before I came for you, right?’

  She nodded. ‘He always went out, never for that long though.’

  I braced her shoulders with my hands. ‘He cared for you, Jessica, that’s why he went out. To make sure you had what you needed. You’ve seen how bad things can happen out her
e, right? Well, I found your dad, and something bad had happened to him.’

  ‘You said that. He got lost.’

  I wet my lips. ‘Jessica. Your dad is dead.’

  A look of sheer horror crossed her face. She looked at me with unblinking eyes, noises rising from her throat but no words. She stuttered briefly, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘But, the photo? You said he sent you to come and get me?’

  ‘I found it,’ I said. ‘He had it on him when I found him. I lied because I couldn’t just leave you there in that barn, who knows what could have happened to you?’

  ‘You’ve known all along? You said we were going to find him? You stole that photo, he didn’t give it to you!’

  ‘Jessica, I-’

  She grabbed at my arms, trying to prise them off of her shoulders. ‘You didn’t know him, or me! Who are you? I don’t even know your name!’

  ‘Je-’

  She sprang towards me, kicking her feet and flailing her fists. At any other time, I would have easily taken the punishment, but after Harvey’s thugs had finished having fun with me, I was as tender as I could be.

  A fist slammed into my bruised cheek, a foot connecting with where my rib was cracked. I hissed in pain, sucking in a sharp breath as I fell to the floor. I looked up to see the young girl’s face twisted with anger.

  ‘Stay away from me! Just stay away!’

  She turned and ran into the atrium, joining the heavy stream of bodies. I held a hand out towards her as she merged with the crowd. ‘Jessica!’

  I hauled myself to my feet, but she was gone. What have I done?

  I had pulled Jessica to safety, only to plunge her straight into danger once more. The Children of Ash were coming, and for all of the walls and doors of the city, they knew a way in. Any protection can be exploited, the chink in the armour just needed to be found, and the Children had already proved that they had found it.

  I’d had all the best intentions, but I had learnt that intentions are not enough to save lives alone. Perhaps she’ll be better off with someone else to look after her, someone who won’t act as hastily as I had. As soon as I thought that, I realised that was the problem. There was nobody else; it was just me and the girl. I straightened up and decided that I was not going to let last night’s efforts be for nought.