She stopped as John grabbed her by the wrist and darted to a janitor's closet across the hall.
The room was cramped and dark. They couldn’t see a thing besides the faint light under the door.
“What was that?”
“They were comin’ behind us, listen.”
They silently stared, watching as shadows passed the door and groans grew louder.
“Did you see something?” a man asked from outside.
John and Janey froze, and John slowly and carefully gripped the doorknob, holding it tight.
“Somebody was in here, the two in the lockers are dead,” another man replied.
Janey pressed herself against John, whispering, so close he could feel her warm breath blowing in his ear. “Were we followed?”
Letting go of the knob, he reached around and grabbed a broom. Slowly pulling it out from between some other supplies, he raised it and pressed it against the ceiling, feeling the large tiles move as he pushed.
“Okay,” he said softly. “We gotta do this easy.”
Crouching down, Janey climbed on his shoulders, and the two held onto the walls as he stood.
Reaching up, she moved a tile out of the way and climbed up, hiding in the ceiling.
“Hand me your gun,” he said quietly holding his hand up.
After getting her pistol, John knocked on the door.
“Whoa, someone’s in here,” a man said.
“No, it’s just a protector,” the other man whispered.
As he heard the footsteps grow closer, he kicked the door open, knocking a blood-soaked man back and sending him flying into the arms of an infected.
It sunk its teeth into the man’s throat, causing him to scream in pain, getting the attention of the horde in the gym.
“FUCK IT, WE’RE RUNNIN’!” John yelled, blasting the other man in the face as screams drew the infected closer.
After Janey jumped down from the ceiling, the two bolted down the hall and dashed out the front doors.
They ran for it, leading the infected out of the school and drawing them to the gate.
Climbing up and over, the two fell to the ground, panting and staring up at the stars in the darkening sky.
“Kingie didn’t happen to mention people lived there, did he?”
John looked at her and laughed. “It's good bein’ back in the real world,” he said, looking back at the infected as they began piling up against the gate.
“I thought we’d end up having to do some 007 kinda stuff for a minute,” Janey joked, getting up and wiping the sweat from her forehead.
John got up and put his arm around her, staring at the twisted mutilated faces of the infected.
He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m glad you followed me to the Divine.”
She rubbed his back, watching as the infected snapped their teeth at them. “So am I.”
He looked at her, staring at her smile and sparkling blue eyes. “I’ve missed this.”
She looked at him and laughed. “It’s only been a couple months.”
“You know what I mean.”
She let out a little laugh, watching the infected swinging their arms around. “Yeah.”
He kissed her on the head and pulled out his hatchet. “Let’s hurry this up.”
After picking off close to one hundred infected, John and Janey walked down a sidewalk with their arms around each other, talking.
Janey laughed. “Or the time Liam shit on Inch’s car?”
He smiled. “Damn near got expelled, the idiot...”
She looked up at him and back down the road. “Like old times, huh?”
“...Almost.”
“Yeah, it kinda feels like we’re missin’ somethin’. Doesn’t it?”
He chuckled. “I wonder what that somethin’ is?”
“Oh, I know! Patrick!”
He busted out laughing. “Shut up, you’re ruining it.”
She smiled and laid her head on his arm.
The next morning.
After returning to the Divine, John and Janey reported back to the king who stood in the field, watching his men slay infected.
“King,” John said, nodding at him as they walked up.
“Savior.” The King spit in his direction. “Such a foolish move. Taking but one other? You were likely to get yourself killed! There was at least one armed man living in that building.”
“Two, and we took care of it. Even moved the bodies down the road. You can do whatever you want with the place now.”
The King looked back, stroking his thin beard as a man sunk his sword into an infected’s face and split it in half. “Thank you, Savior.”
John smiled as Janey slid her hand into his. “Thank you, Sire.”
Two weeks later.
John sat on the steps of the museum with Holly. His face clean shaven and hair trimmed. He wore a white shirt and black jeans.
Holly’s dark hair was tied back, and she was dressed in light blue overalls and a white tank top.
They talked for a while until Janey came out from the museum with tears in her eyes. “John?”
John got goosebumps as he got up and looked at her. “What’d they find out?”
She nodded and ran into his arms.
Tears ran down their faces, and Janey sniffled and laughed.
“This is us now,” he said, holding her close and staring into her eyes. “Our new world,” he said with a smile before kissing her.
She couldn’t stop grinning, staring at the joy in John’s face. “How would Morgan Williams put it?”
“The first fucking day of the rest of our fucking lives!”
She laughed. “Fuck yes it is!”
Chapter 29:
The Savior
Seven years had passed since Billie’s death. Since then, Rachel had brought the Argentina Safe Zone back from the dead, and it was now a strong thriving community again.
Over the years, the Tribuals had attempted picking fights with the Acquainted, with all attacks ending in failure. They had been a minor nuisance, but recently they had been unusually quiet, making the Acquainted suspicious, and like the day they escaped from the base, put them on high alert.
June 2019, Toronto, Canada. The Divine.
Age had not been kind to the King. His face was now covered in wrinkles. He had a short white beard, and balding hair. He had a long red robe with a white fur collar, and wore a golden crown.
He took out his cigarette and smiled. “This is them,” he said to a man as they stood in a large field full of knights, infected, and practice dummies.
“Gotta tell ya, Fed, your men, they’re very talented fighters,” the man said, watching as a man sliced an infected’s head off with his sword. “I can’t imagine the biters being a real threat around here.”
The King laughed. “The demons are a mere obstacle in our journey to eternal peace.”
“I also have to ask,” he said, staring at a man with a sword for an arm. “Who, or what, is that?”
The King smiled. “That, is Savior.”
John’s greying hair hung down past his shoulders, and he had a large bushy beard. He wore a lose blue khaki shirt, black jeans, an eyepatch, and had a sword attached to his armor piece.
“He is the general of my army,” the King told him as John sliced off three heads with one swing.
“Damn. Would you mind calling him over?” the man asked.
The King cleared his throat. “Savior,” he hollered. “Do come here for a moment.”
John thrusted his sword arm through an infected’s stomach and sliced it in half before running to the King.
“Yes, Sire?”
“Dutch, meet Savior. The general of the Divine's army.”
“Savior? How’d you earn a name like that?” he asked, shaking his hand.
“Besides saving countless people in the wasteland, he saved my dearest Magdalene. Atop that, he unleashed hell on the Harbor. It is a name he is well deserving of.”
Dutch smiled. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Savior.”
John tilted his head and nodded. “Yeah, a pleasure to meet.”
The King brushed some muck off John’s shoulder. “Savior, we’ve called you over here to discuss an attack. The Acquainted group that you’ve mentioned in the past, they’ve been terrorizing this man and his people. After sending scouts, we’ve deemed that the Tribual are not suited to protect themselves, and they need our help.”
“If I might ask, Sire. Why should we help them? I’ve dealt with the Acquainted, I know what they’re capable of. I think it’s best to stay out of it.”
“Well that is where great minds differ. For without friends in this world, what do we have? This world is full of demons, and when a smile comes your way, you smile back.”
Dutch snickered. “I have to ask, do you wipe your ass with that thing?” he asked, pointing at John’s sword.
“Do you wipe your ass with your gun?”
He laughed. “Sorry.”
“Savior, I wish to send a small group led by you and Jester to the Acquainted’s fortress in Ohio. You still know where it is, do you not?”
“All too well.”
“Magnificent. I want you and Jester to find a way in without causing violence. Get a good idea of what’s going on and what we should do to help the Tribuals.”
John stared at Dutch. “Is the Divine getting anything in return?”
The King nodded. “...An Ally to fight alongside us in battle... Should that day ever come.”
“What else?”
He shrugged. “Why, what more could you ask for?”
John stared at Dutch. “Morgan doesn’t play around. Why didn’t he kill your people a long time ago?”
Dutch let out a little chuckle. “Morgan Williams is a man who feeds on fear and torment. He’s a man who loves to play mind games. I’ve lost countless men over the years, and right now, my group must be damn near close to thirty... He’s taken his time with us, because to him, we aren’t a serious threat. Maybe one day, when the majority of my men were alive and healthy... But not anymore.”
John glared at the King. “You do remember the things I’ve told you about these people, don’t you?”
“Savior, we must help them. For if we turn our backs to the Tribual, we are sentencing them to death, making us no better than the Acquainted.”
John scowled and walked away. “Fine.”
• • •
Six days later, the Ohio Base.
Running up to Rachel from the kitchen of the living quarters, a little boy jumped on the bed with a comic book. “Mommy, look!” He had light skin and short dark brown hair. He wore a red shirt and blue jeans, his sneakers soaked in mud.
“Yeah?” she asked, buttoning her jeans and turning to her son.
“The guy got in a fight with the monster man and rammed a shoe in his mouth!” The boy laughed, showing Rachel the pictures in the comic.
Looking over the page, Rachel spotted multiple swear words. “Did uncle Morgan give you that?”
“Yeah, but he said it’s okay. I don’t talk like that so it’s okay.”
Rachel sighed and rolled her eyes.
“It’s okay, I won’t swear. Can I still read it?”
“Yeah, if you like it go ahead. But next time Morgan brings you something I want you to show me what it is first, okay?”
“Okay!”
“Thank you,” she said, kissing him on the head. “Do you know where I put my jacket?”
“The jean one’s in the kitchen,” he said as Morgan rushed in and grabbed his leather jacket.
“Hey Morgan, what’s the rush?”
“Some freaks out by the gate, I’m gonna go deal with it.”
“Freaks?”
“Crazies dressed up like knights.”
Outside the fence, the small group of soldiers patiently waited for Morgan on horseback.
John’s hair blew in the wind as he sat atop his mostly white Appaloosa. “Jest,” he said, looking to Jester who stood beside him, dressed in a tuxedo and clown mask. “If shit goes wrong, you know what to do. We don’t let Morgan win. EVER.”
Jester nodded.
The group watched as the doors to the Ohio base swung open and Morgan Williams came strutting out with a big gun and an even bigger smile.
“And to what do I owe this fine group of merry men, or whatever the fuck you are?”
John jumped down and walked up to the gate. “Morgan,” he said, holding onto the fence and staring him dead in the eyes.
Morgan looked at the Savior with a puzzled look and a half smile. “Fuck... Where do I know you from?” he asked, grabbing at his crotch.
“I don’t know. You ever chop a one-eyed man’s arm off before?”
Morgan’s smile grew even bigger. “Jesus fucking fuck... What’s your name, traveler?”
“The Savior.”
“That is a really pretty name. Well, Savior, I’ll let you in, we’ll talk, you’ll tell me what you want, I’ll tell you no, and we’ll be on our way!”
“I just need a minute.”
“Good ‘cause that’s all you’re getting! But first, lose the fucking knife arm. As badass as it may be, I can’t have you walking around with that thing. Fuck no I can not.”
John unattached the sword from his armor piece. “You got it.”
Walking the Savior inside, Morgan took him upstairs to his meeting room. They sat across from each other at the long wooden table, unable to take their eyes off each other.
“Who’s the clown? Norman? I thought he was in New Argentina, but there’s no telling for sure. That guy avoids me like the fucking plague!”
“Jester.”
“How are you still alive? After all this time the TB should’ve killed you.”
“Norman and I went to Cascadia, we told Rachel I was gonna die because I didn’t wanna get her hopes up. Turned out they couldn’t help me, but it just so happened I ran into the Divine.” He nodded at him. “You?”
“My doctors... Have you seen New Argentina yet?”
“What’s that?”
“Fuck, that’s right, you weren’t here for that!” Morgan chuckled. “After I had everyone killed, Rachel wanted to bring them back. Not like- from the dead- because those fuckers sure as shit weren’t getting back up. But she turned the place around. You'd be proud of her.”
“Is Rachel here?”
Mogan grinned. “We’ll circle back to that one. But first, why the fuck are you here?”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “King Fedrick Arquette of the Divine requested I come to learn more about the threat you pose to the Tribual. Right now, we have a man named Dutch trying to get us to wage war with you. I know you know about the Tribuals, and I wanna know what you know.”
“Well first of all, Petey’s a fucking idiot. The smart one is Abraham, too bad I killed him,” he said with a laugh. “Have your people ever been to the Tribual?”
“Scouts, they say it looks like a bunch of starving and sad victims of war,” he said sarcastically.
“That’s how they’d trick you. They keep their fighters in the stadium. That big fuckin’ place just outside their wall- they keep the baddest of the baddest in there. The Predators and the Tribuals are two very different people. One’s a group of humans, and the other’s a group of animals.”
“And what’s goin’ on between you and them?”
“Oh this is gonna get you, fucking. Pissed!” Morgan laughed. “I took in your ‘daughter-not-your-daughter’. Whatever the fuck she really is, and I turned that girl into an Acquainted! The Tribual want her dead for killing Petey’s family and now they want me dead for harboring a fugitive!” He smiled. “It’s fucking great.”
“She couldn’t have, Dutch told the King he had kids. I’m pretty sure I knew this guy, and if he’s who I think he is, his kids are just little things.”
“And Rachel killed the fuck out of them! But it had to be done. For the same reason cutting your
arm off had to be done, and for the same reason forcing Rachel to fuck you and killing Billie had to be done! Jesus Christ, I’m really laying a shit boat of fuckery down on you right now, aren’t I? The big swinging dick of the word is just pumping a dumpster down your throat! ”
“What?”
“Petey told Rachel if she didn’t become an ally, he’d kill everyone. I’m only guessing that’s what he’s doing with your king too. Now that he’s actually found you people. Now you know me, John. You know I love to fuck with people, and that’s the only reason Petey’s still alive! But if I were your king, I’d have all my men kill all his men, before all his men rape, kill, and rape all my men. I mean fuck, you have a sword for an arm, unless you have guns you aren’t stopping them! Do you carry guns?”
“Guns are for emergencies only.”
“So you have a stash of guns and ammo that your people choose not to use, is that it? Well fuck, not only am I sure your people are as good as fucked, but I think Petey might know about those guns. As a matter of fact, he probably thinks he’d use your men and your guns against us.”
Opening the door, Rachel walked in. “Hey Morg-” She paused. “JOHN?”
Morgan laughed. “And so we circle back around! John, meet my wife! Rachel Fucking Williams!”
“Rachel?” John asked.
“What the fuck? Everybody thought you were dead!”
Morgan laughed again. “Ooohhh, this must fucking suck!”
“You did it again! You faked your death and left your family!”
Morgan shook his head. “In his defense, he didn’t want you to get your hopes up. He honestly thought he was as good as dead! And I have to agree with him, I was fucking sure he was dead!”
“John?”
Morgan smirked, holding back a laugh. “Rachel, please. I’m in the middle of a very serious meeting with Savior, the leader of the king's knights.”
John leaned ahead and stared at Rachel. “You’re his wife? After everything he did to us? To our friends? He just said somethin’ about killin’ Billie...”
Rachel sniffled. “Yeah well you’re here visiting him after all he did to us and our friends! I don’t see you killing him!”
“I need to look past our personal history for the sake of my people, it’s not like I’m paying an old friend a visit! Besides, I didn’t even know you were alive! All I knew was Argentina was wiped out and you were gone!”
When Was? (Book 2): Who Are You Acquainted With? Page 25