The Gamekeeper

by J Porteous

  Jessica put her arm around me. ‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘We’ve got each other now, haven’t we?’

  I dried my eyes. I had looked after this young girl, protecting her as best as I could, and now the tables had turned. I was the child, and she protected me from thoughts of the past. I hugged her back. ‘We do. We do.’

  I cleared my throat and rubbed my eyes and nose on my jacket once again. There was still a fair distance to cover, and time was of the essence. ‘There’s someone else who needs us too.’

  ‘Do you think Prism is okay?’ Jessica asked, taking my hand once more.

  ‘I hope so,’ I replied. ‘By the way, it’s David.’

  ‘What is?’

  ‘My name,’ I said. ‘It’s David.’

  Jessica smiled at me. ‘Nice to meet you, David.’

  Hearing someone else use that name struck my heart like a hammer. The last time I had heard it was when Cait said goodbye as I left for the hunt. Trust. You’ve got to learn to trust again. Don’t shut yourself away again. ‘Nice to meet you too, Jessica.’

  Jessica looked forward, her face turning sour. ‘David, look.’

  I followed where her eyes went. Rising between the bare trees was a plume of smoke. I gritted my teeth at the pain as I put more weight on my foot. ‘We need to hurry.’

  Hope was in the process of being ravaged. My stomach dropped at the sight, frustration boiling inside of me. I was too late for Community and now I had been too late for Hope. I always viewed every defeat as a learning experience, but this time I seemed to have learnt nothing.

  Beyond the tall walls billowed clouds of smoke, the sound of screams and roaring flames reaching out to taunt us. We watched from a distance, laying in a grotty roadside ditch.

  The gates were open, scores of people fleeing from the ensuing chaos within. Some still attempted to pull their carts behind them, while others were left abandoned and overturned in the muddy entrance. Some of those who fled were bloodied, others limping or dragging themselves away as fast as their bodies would carry them.

  ‘Do you think Prism is still in there?’ Jessica asked.

  I watched as someone ran screaming out of the gates, turning back to shout for someone. ‘I hope not.’ I pulled my shotgun from my coat and handed it to Jessica.

  She grabbed it, but not without a look of confusion. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m going to see if she’s in there.’

  ‘I think you’ll need the gun more.’

  ‘There are no shells left,’ I said. ‘But if you point it at people who come your way, they are panicked enough that they’ll want to avoid any other trouble. Just point it at anyone who comes close, they’ll leave you alone.’

  ‘What if you don’t come back?’

  ‘That won’t happen.’ I stood up, placing as little weight as I could on my sprained ankle. ‘I’ll be back soon.’

  Jessica looked down at the shotgun in her hands, studying the battered stock. ‘Okay,’ she said, aiming it towards the gaping entrance of Hope. ‘Just be careful.’

  I set off towards the gates, limping when pain shot through my leg once more. I passed the overturned carts, their loads crushed underfoot in the slick mud. A couple of bodies lay in the entrance, those who had succumbed to their wounds before they could escape. Blood ran and mingled with the churned earth, reddy-brown colours staining the sides of my boots as they sank into the mud.

  The heat could be felt as soon as I entered the atrium. The crowd of people which usually filled the hall was gone, either fled or lay dying on the floor. Smoke from further in the old mall billowed through, clouding the ceiling. I pulled my scarf up over my nose in an attempt to save myself from choking.

  I stepped over a number of bodies. Most were dead, but others were bleeding out, too far gone to help now. I tried not to look down at them, although I could feel their eyes boring into me, silently begging me to save them. I didn’t have the guts to tell them that they were beyond help.

  Amid the cacophony of screams, one voice rose above the rest. Near the entrance to the rest of the mall, someone fought one of the cultists. They kicked and bit, trying with all their might to escape the rope which the cultist was trying to tie around them. They fell to the floor, and the cultist erupted in maddened and choked laughter.

  I pulled my knife from my belt and skulked across the room towards them. The man on the ground thrashed around, the cultist having managed to loop the rope around his feet and tighten the knot. I approached slowly, creeping through the smoke-thickened air like a spectre in the mist.

  The man threw all of his weight into his kicks, one of them managing to connect with the cultist. The firm push knocked the cultist over, sending him tripping over one of the bodies which were sprawled out behind him. I took my chance.

  I dashed forward, the cultist’s laugh cut short as I landed on top of him. I dropped one hand firmly over his mouth, forcing his head to one side with my weight. His dirty fingers reached up at me, clamouring for something to force me off. I drove the knife into his neck; a quick and sudden spasm gave way to a pair of glazed eyes staring up at me.

  I pulled the blade out, hot blood spurting from the wound. The hand with which I clasped his mouth was suddenly warmed by the red flow. I could count on one hand the number of people I’ve had to kill, and each time it never got any easier. At least with the shotgun it made it somewhat impersonal, but when you’re thrusting a piece of metal into a soft body, you could see and feel their struggle to hang onto whatever little life they had left.

  ‘Hey, you! Come untie me, quick!’

  The man on the floor wriggled toward me in a panic. I cut his legs free from the rope and he leapt to his feet, ready to sprint to safety. I grabbed his arm and held him in place. ‘What’s it like inside?’

  The terror in his eyes spelt it out for me before any words left his mouth. ‘They’re burning everything, everyone. There’s so many of them, I don’t know where they came from.’

  ‘Are there any survivors?’

  ‘I...I don’t know,’ he stuttered. ‘I saw people falling down, covered in blood. I just ran.’ He shrugged my hand loose. ‘Please, I’m getting out of here, you should get out too.’

  Before I could respond, the man had turned tail and fled towards the entrance. If Prism was in there, I doubt there was anything I could do to help her. Still, I had to at least try. I ducked in through the doors which led to the main mall to find a scene from a nightmare.

  Trader’s carts were ablaze, the smoke rising up to carpet the ceiling in billowing black clouds. I coughed and spluttered just at the entrance, I had no idea how those inside could stand it. The heat washed over me, memories of the midnight pyre coming to mind.

  Cultists stalked along the upper walkways, dragging behind them those who were unlucky enough not to die in the initial attack. Bodies hung limply from the mezzanine, others littering the bottom floor where they fell. Some who were still alive attempted to drag themselves to safety, only for a cultist to find them and drag them back to the centre of the mall.

  There was no way I was going to get in to find anyone. Between the thickening smoke and the roving cultists, it was impossible for me to get any distance into the mall without getting either injured, killed, or worse. If you’re in there Prism, I’m sorry.

  I exited the atrium, pulling my scarf from my face and sucking down lungfuls of clean air. The fires within Hope were burning well now, the smoke rising high and attempting to blot out the sky. I moved as fast as I could, back to where I had left Jessica. Blood and snow mingled underfoot, creating an odd pinkish slush.

  I left the heat of the city behind, traipsing through the melting snow towards Jessica. The ditch came into view, but there was no sign of her. I glanced around, not seeing her. ‘Jessica?’

  ‘I’m here.’

  I looked in the direction of the voice to see her pulling herself free of a bramble bush, thorns tearing at her clothing as she wiggled loose. She clambered to
her feet and ran towards me. ‘What were you doing?’ I asked.

  ‘Hiding,’ she replied. ‘I thought it was better to not be seen at all than to have to scare anyone who came my way.’

  ‘Smart girl,’ I said, taking the shotgun from her and placing it back in my coat. I caught her glance towards Hope. ‘I couldn’t get in to find her. There’s too much smoke and heat, and the place is crawling with them.’

  ‘I hope she got away.’

  ‘So do I.’

  ‘Do you think Diego and Felix are still there?’

  I hadn’t thought about the two young men since we had arrived. ‘They mentioned they were going north, so hopefully they’re okay.’

  ‘And we’re going north too?’

  ‘We are now,’ I said. ‘It’s the only place I can think of to go.’ I looked back at Hope one last time. To think that it seemed like such a paradise on arrival, a glimmer of what humanity used to be; and now it was being reduced to a smoking ruin. ‘We can’t stay here much longer, we can’t have you getting caught again. Let’s go.’

  The trek north of Hope was a tough one. The ground became rockier, the slopes steeper, and the hills more numerous. Even with as far as we had walked, the smoke from Hope was still visible in the sky, a dark shadow on the desolate clouds.

  The tracks we had found were crowded and numerous. There were many sets of footprints, and I could only hope that Deputy Thwaite had made good on her word and managed to evacuate all of these people before the Children of Ash had hit.

  Jessica bounded ahead of me, my ankle still slowing me down. She climbed a small outcrop and looked out across the path ahead of us.

  ‘What do you see?’

  She squinted, holding a hand up to shield her eyes from the low sun. ‘I still don’t see anyone,’ she said, disappointment in her words. ‘But it looks like the tracks keep going.’

  I caught up with her, climbing the outcrop to stand beside her. The path levelled out, opening up into a larger area. The group of tracks were visible for a good distance, which made it easy for us to follow; it also made it easier for anyone else who wanted to track the group too.

  I had kept eyes on our back as we had travelled, but so far there had not been another human in sight. I had spied a couple of deer at one point, but all that did was remind me that my bag with its food was still at the Flophouse, no doubt burnt to cinders. What a waste.

  ‘How much further do you think they’ve gone?’ Jessica asked.

  I scratched my beard. ‘They had a good head-start on us, plus we’re slow because of my leg.’

  ‘They’ve probably got people with bad legs too.’

  It was a fair point. In the panic and crush of leaving Hope, it would have been all too easy to get injured in the chaos. That worked in our favour, as long as the group we were following weren’t heartless enough to leave others behind.

  ‘Do you think we’ll find them before it gets dark?’

  I followed the tracks as they disappeared out of view. ‘I hope so,’ I said. ‘But perhaps we should gather some wood as we go, just in case.’

  ‘Will it be safe to have a fire tonight?’

  ‘I think we’ll be okay,’ I replied. ‘It’s been a long day for us, and everyone else. Most people won’t want to venture far today, so I think we can afford a little fire if we need it.’

  Jessica’s stomach gurgled. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘I’m hungry too, don’t you worry. When we catch up with the others, we can see if they brought food. If they had any forethought, then hopefully they planned ahead for the trip.’

  Night came across the bleak sky sooner than I would have liked. The trail still showed no sign of stopping, but the dark meant we wouldn’t be able to carry on much longer. I carried a bundle of dry sticks which we had picked up along the way, Jessica shoving more down the front of her coat to save herself from carrying them.

  ‘I don’t think we’re going to find them before it gets dark,’ Jessica said.

  ‘No, nor do I.’ I jostled the wood in my arms. ‘Still, we’ve got something to make a fire at least. We might be alone tonight, but we’ll be warm.’

  ‘I miss my bed.’

  I tried not to dwell on those words too much. There was no use thinking about the bed back at the Flophouse; it was gone, and we had to make do with what we had in the current situation. ‘We’ll make new beds somewhere else.’

  ‘As comfy as the Flophouse?’

  ‘Comfier.’

  We trod the same route as the tracks for as long as we could. Our surroundings closed in on us as the night crept in further. Jessica stopped to adjust the sticks which were down her coat, shimmying about in an attempt to make them somewhat comfortable. I walked ahead, hoping for a sign of life.

  ‘There’s a lady over there.’

  I looked back to see Jessica looking at something in the trees. I stepped back to where she was and looked in the direction she gazed. There was a woman. She was slumped against a wide oak, unmoving in the darkness.

  Jessica grabbed on to me. ‘Do you think she’s, you know, dead?’

  I watched the woman, her ashen face as pale as the snow around her. ‘I think so,’ I said. I held the bundle of branches towards Jessica. ‘Hold these for me. I’ll go check.’

  I walked towards the woman. Her long hair was plastered across her face with dried blood, her hands clutching a wound near her abdomen. Her glassy eyes stared off into the distance as if watching something with great fascination.

  Her coat had already been taken, and if she had a bag that was long gone too. Having Jessica with me made me self-conscious, but I reached into what pockets I could find in case anything had been left. In one pocket I found a flint. Something useful for tonight at least. Other than that she was bare.

  ‘What did you find?’ Jessica called.

  ‘A flint,’ I said. ‘Should help with the fire tonight.’

  Jessica wandered closer, looking down at the dead woman. ‘Do you think she came from Hope?’

  ‘I’m assuming so.’ I studied the bloodstains, noticing they were still wet. ‘She must have been injured and tried to get out.’

  ‘Do you think anyone said goodbye to her?’

  I looked up at Jessica. ‘We can say goodbye to her, just in case.’

  Jessica crouched down beside me, placing the wood in a small pile beside herself, and looked into the eyes of the woman. ‘We didn’t know you,’ she said. ‘But we’re sorry you’re dead. Thank you for the flint.’

  ‘Let’s hope she can find the peace in death which she couldn’t find in life.’ I gingerly reached forward and closed the woman’s cold eyelids. ‘There,’ I said. ‘At least someone said goodbye now.’

  Jessica nodded, then picked up the bundle of wood once more. ‘Do you think we can go much further?’

  ‘No,’ I said, trying to make out anything through the dark woodland. ‘But we’ll go just a little bit further. We don’t want to sleep next to her if we can help it. We don’t know what might smell her and come along.’

  ‘Like the wolf?’

  ‘Like the wolf.’ I took the bundle of wood back from Jessica and gave her a nod to follow. ‘Come on, we won’t go much longer now, then we can rest.’

  The flint worked wonders with the dry wood. I had dreaded the thought of attempting to start a fire without one, but with some of the stuffing from Jessica’s jacket, we managed to get a small blaze going. I held my hands and feet towards it, letting it chase the chill from my bones.

  I watched Jessica through the flames. She stared into them, lost in some thought I didn’t dare to interrupt. I knew that sometimes it was best to let someone stay within their mind for a while. The fire crackled and spat, the embers floating off into the sky like tiny fireflies.

  A rare break in the thick clouds revealed a silver moon. I looked up at it, appreciating the sight. Its light reflected off the surrounding patches of snow, causing our surroundings to reveal themselves in a dim glow.

  ‘
It’s very pretty.’

  I looked across the fire to see Jessica staring up at the moon as it peeked through the surrounding clouds. ‘It is,’ I replied.

  ‘Is it far away?’

  ‘Very.’

  Jessica sighed. ‘I wonder what it’s like up there.’

  ‘We’ve been there before,’ I said. ‘Years ago.’

  Jessica looked at me, her eyes wide with wonder. ‘There’s someone up there?’

  ‘No one lives there,’ I said with a quiet laugh. ‘But a few people went to visit it once.’

  ‘What was it like?’

  ‘It’s very grey and very quiet. You could jump up there and almost be flying.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘They landed on the moon, and even left a few things as well.’

  ‘What did they leave?’

  ‘They left a flag.’

  ‘And it’s still up there?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Do you think we’ll get to go there again?’

  I looked up at the moon once more. ‘I don’t know, but I hope so.’

  Twigs snapped behind me. I whipped my head back to see if I could spot anything, my hand grasping my knife from my belt. The shadows of the trees played tricks with my eyes as the moon fell in and out of cloud cover.

  Jessica scurried beside me. ‘Did you hear something?’ she whispered.

  I held a finger to my lips to silence her and concentrated on the shadows once more. There was no way that the cultists had caught up with us already, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other people out this way.

  Another snap. I stood, pulling my knife out and brandishing it so that the moon glinted off of the blade. ‘Who’s there?’ I called out. ‘If you come any closer I’ll hurt you.’

  A shadow poked out from the side of a tree. ‘Where are you from?’ a voice called out.