by Burgy, P. J.
They smelled meat.
She fought the urge to push her fingers through the cage, to try to get Annie out of there. It wasn't Annie though, not anymore. Swallowing back a painful lump in her throat, Kara stumbled back a few feet, shaking her head. Now that she was studying them all, she recognized a few other faces in the cage. A man from Pleasant Tree she'd seen gardening once. A woman who was carrying water next to her son. A guard from the sentry station, still in his ruined gear.
It was too much.
“I’m sorry, Annie. I'm sorry,” Kara said.
Unable to continue looking at it, at them, Kara crept back down into the train track and went onward into the next tunnel. The image of Annie's smiling face floated through her mind.
She saw strangely colored lights from all the way down the tunnel and marveled at them every step of the way toward the last platform. They were strings of lights, like the ones used at forts after nightfall. These were not red lights, and instead were yellow and blue, and pink, and green. This area had the most candles, the brightest torches, and she climbed up after a search had proven the area to the clear. It was a stop, the platform wide and the next track over visible across a makeshift bridge. There were decorations hanging from the high ceiling, bones on ropes arranged to look like macabre wind chimes. She grimaced at the sight. There were tents, the flaps open and the insides empty, and the ground was littered with broken ribs. Animal pelts were strung up between the columns with thick wound wires.
She saw that the tents framed a walkway. At the end of the walkway was another cage, this one decorated with more bones and lights, fabrics and pelts. There were thicker candles set around the cage, their flames bright and aggressive. Blankets and towels had been piled into the cell, and the occupant was huddled into the corner, hugging their knees. It was a small figure, and she nearly gasped when she saw movement.
She ran over to the cage, hands on the bars, and stared in at the little girl with blonde hair, skin dark and smudged with dirt, her eyes terrified. “Lena.”
“Kara,” Lena whispered.
“Lena, it's okay. I'm going to get you out of here.” Kara searched the front of the cage for the door and found it.
It was latched, locked shut, and Kara pulled out her pocket knife. She was frantically looking for a thin enough tool to pick the lock.
“They’re all dead, Kara.”
The girl wore a filthy dress, her skin coated in blood and black bile. Her long hair was matted with grime. Kara looked at Lena as she checked out the cage itself next and tested the sturdiness of the structure.
“I know,” Kara said.
“I don’t like her. I don't like that lady,” Lena muttered. “She's a monster.”
“We're going to get out of here, okay? We're going to get you out,” Kara told the girl and then found a sharp bone on the ground nearby. Going back to her original plan, Kara attempted picking the lock.
“They killed my dad.”
“I'm so sorry,” Kara said, sweat beading on her cheeks.
“And Mom was sick. The baby died. They took him away,” Lena whispered.
Kara was forced to stop, her hand on her mouth, her eyes shut tight.
“It was a little boy,” Lena continued. “Dad always wanted a little boy.”
Kara struggled to speak. “Lena, baby, shh…”
“Mom. Dad. Ramona. Hollie. Sarah. All dead. All dead. I’m not though. I didn’t die. I didn’t even get sick. Meredith called me Eve. Who is Eve? I want to go home.”
“Baby, I'm so sorry, but you’ve got to be quiet.” Kara returned to picking the lock, her lungs aching. “If we want to get out of here, we’ve got to be very quiet.”
“They don't eat the dead if they were sick. They take them to the pile.”
“Lena…” Kara stopped again and stared at the girl.
Lena lowered her head and fell silent.
Kara got the lock open and pulled the door to the side, freeing Lena. The girl ran into her arms and the two embraced for what felt like an eternity before Kara pulled them both toward the platform, toward the track below.
“There's a way out, steps to the street, not far from here. I'll get you up there. Then, you wait there, okay? I've got to go back for someone.” She told Lena as they moved through the tunnel the way Kara had come. She kept Lena low as they passed the platform with the caged Infected, keeping her hand over the side of the girl's face like a blinder.
“Who?”
“A friend of mine who helped me get here,” Kara replied.
“What if you get killed and leave me there?”
“I won't get killed.”
They reached the steps and, red light guiding the way, Kara pulled Lena along until they got to the enclosure on the street level. Letting Lena hold the light, Kara pried the planks apart. “As soon as I pull this open, squeeze through, then find a place to hide, okay? Can you do that for me, Lena?”
“You’ll get lost and killed if you go back down there.”
Kara shook her head. “No, I'll be fine. I promise.”
When Kara began to put her weight into peeling a board back, a sharp wedge of light pouring through the gap, she was shocked when Lena suddenly shoved her little body against the wooden slat to close the exit off. Lena pointed the red flashlight at Kara.
“You don't know their home,” Lena stated.
“I’ll find him.”
“I know where he is.”
Kara froze and then turned to glare at Lena. “What?”
“Your friend. Russell.”
“How?”
“They showed me around their home. Eden,” Lena said. “They also brought me to him. To where they would keep him once he proved himself to her. Meredith wanted me to meet the man who had brought you to us.”
“Lena, tell me where he is, and I'll go find him,” Kara said.
“I can't say, but I can show you.”
Kara frowned. “I can't let you go back down there.”
“You said he's your friend. Then, he is my friend too. I want to help. He brought you here, so I don't want to leave him either. You'll need me to tell you where to go. I remember the way. I have a good memory. But I can't describe it. I don't know the words.” Lena chewed on her bottom lip.
“Lena, you know the words just fine.”
“Please. He brought you to me. Let me help.” Lena's eyes filled with tears.
“I’ll be back. I promise I won't leave you alone out there.”
“Please!”
“You are a brave girl,” Kara whispered, touching Lena's face, avoiding the black bile on her cheeks. “Lena, you don't have to do that.”
“Dad would do it. So would Mom. They wouldn't let their friend go alone.”
Kara nodded and then pointed back down the stairwell.
“Lead the way, but only point. No talking. Walk quietly,” Kara said.
“He’s very sick, isn’t he?” Lena asked as Kara took the flashlight away from her.
Kara thought about the girl’s question before answering. “Yes, Russell is very sick. He’s like them, but he’s not. He’s good.”
“He’s a good man?”
“He is.”
“Are we going home then?” Lena tilted her head.
Kara nodded. “Yes.”
Kara followed Lena, forcing the girl to pause by extending her arm out into her path on more than one occasion. The journey down the steps had been the easy part, but traversing the tracks was proving to be difficult as Kara had to help lower Lena down and then pull her back up again until they reached the portions of the platforms where the Infected had built makeshift bridges out of planks of wood and threadbare rugs. The ceilings were decorated with hanging bones and the candles were far and few between for the majority of the way until they neared the derelict little city the Infected had built out of fabric, concrete blocks, wooden poles, and tents.
It reminded Kara a little of Blue Lagoon and the way the town had been built out on the docks, p
eople living on top of one another, but the homes weren’t multi-level here. It could have been a shanty town, like the ones the Red Brethren threw together in their ugly forts.
The smell was terrible and the puddles of dried, black bile were crunchy under Kara’s sneakers. She glanced at Lena from time to time, noting how badly the girl needed to have the crud washed out of her hair. They’d tried to infect her, and it hadn’t taken, she was immune to the virus. Kara had never met anyone who was immune, but she’d heard stories. Her thoughts wandered as she kept an eye out, keeping Lena from charging forward as they sneaked through the hideous commune, not a sign of the Infected anywhere save for a distant chanting.
A horn blew once, and then twice.
Their voices were growing louder as Kara and Lena came to a wide platform. They hid behind one of the shanty tents, peering around at the scene taking place in the opening far ahead of them.
This was a hub of some sort, the columns tall and the torches lit. The ground was coated in rugs and fabrics, and strings of fur and leather hung from the ceiling like tassels. Human skulls were fastened to the ends of some of those ropes, softly swinging in the breeze from the tunnels surrounding the gathering.
Kara counted sixty, seventy Infected. Men and women, mixed. Some were dressed and others were scantily clad. The ones who had decided to go for a more tribal appearance had smeared their black bile across their chests and faces in a design similar to their leader, to Meredith.
Meredith stood with Michael, who held a long, white horn that might have been made of bone. Kara wasn’t sure what they’d walked in on, as it suddenly fell silent, and she pulled Lena back slightly to make sure that they hadn’t been spotted.
After a few seconds, Kara leaned back out again and peered around at the faces of the Infected while Lena pointed toward the far right. She saw him there, sitting on the ground, head down, elbows on his knees.
Russell was seated near where Meredith stood, his black shirt torn across the shoulder, his dark jeans gritty and pale around the shins where he’d been dragged across the dusty ground. Kara held her breath and considered her options. There were far too many of them in there for her to just sneak around and try to get to him, to get his attention and have him sneak off with them. Meredith began to speak, snapping Kara back into the moment.
“My children, my Kindred,” Meredith said. “Our mother sleeps, so, let us not celebrate too loudly. Our Eden, Our True Eden, is on the verge of creation. With every night, our numbers grow. From our lowly but essential troops, our feral children, to us, the enlightened and awoken, our numbers grow. Tomorrow night, at sunset, we set off to claim new kin. From there, we will reach out and wake them all up. One by one, we shall set them free of their dream and welcome them to Eden. My Kindred, our enemy, the Purgers, Father Isaac and his murderous ministry, are no longer an obstacle in our way. We are free to live our lives, and to awaken others. Bring him!”
Meredith turned suddenly and Michael, lowering the horn to his side, raised his free hand up and out, signaling to someone behind the tents to their left.
Kara strained to look, hearing a commotion coming from far off. And then, from around the hovels close to where the albino siblings stood, a dark figure was dragged into view. Kara recognized the bird mask, though it was cracked and broken. The long coat was torn to shreds, the clothing ripped and exposing bloody flesh. The man had graying hair, his face hidden yet by the mask, but Kara knew exactly who it was.
Russell seemed unmoved, sitting on the ground ten feet away from the Infected holding Father Isaac in place, forcing the Purger leader to stand as Meredith stepped up to him and tore the mask right off his face in one smooth motion. Father Isaac was already spitting up black gunk, but he wasn’t one of them. He was pale, sickly, weak, the virus was killing him.
Kara pushed Lena back to keep her from watching and then turned to stare as Meredith faced down against her enemy, the two locking eyes.
It felt oddly satisfying to Kara to hear Father Isaac chuckle, though the sound was thin. From where Kara watched, she could see him roll his head back and look around at all the Infected, his smile wide. He’d been severely mauled, beaten, and the way his left leg buckled suggested a break, but he hadn’t been defeated.
His lip was bleeding profusely, and his words sounded raw when he spoke. “A circle of devils for me? What works have I done to deserve such an honor? Ah, yes. Great works indeed.”
“Old man, it shall give me no greater pleasure than to watch you waste away from the fever, or turn and join us, awakened,” Meredith hissed, grinning ear to ear, her eyes manic.
Father Isaac turned his gaze to her, smiling. “You’ve been enjoying our time together, have you not, my child? Such hatred. Such fear. I am proud to have been the stuff of your nightmares for so long. I am the demon’s boogie-man. I did my job well, did I not? I served Him.”
“Served who? Your God? He has abandoned you.” Meredith bared her teeth. “Here in my Eden, you will rot alone, or you will find yourself as my servant. That is what he has given you.”
“Ah, I think not,” Father Isaac mused, loud enough for Kara to hear. “He has a plan for all of us. I am not alone here. There are angels in our midst who would remember themselves.”
“Angels…” Meredith laughed softly, and then she tilted her head back, the sound of her amusement growing louder and louder. Her eyes flashed back to Father Isaac. “Old fool. I had thought you’d be dead by now, but you linger on. I wanted to show them, my Kindred, what they had feared for so long. I wanted them to see what he actually is.”
Father Isaac glanced around at the Infected.
Kara froze when she felt his gaze meet hers. She almost toppled over and back behind the tent. He had not reacted to seeing her, and, crouching, Kara crept forward once more to see that Father Isaac was staring at Meredith.
“Here I am,” Father Isaac said. “Look at me then, demons.”
Hisses and jeers rose from the crowd of Infected.
Father Isaac turned his head, looking to where Russell sat. “And there he is. The Ghost. The one who left Salvation in flames, along with his friend, the girl we trusted and let in. Where is she, Russell? That is your name, isn’t it? Russell. Where is your friend? Where is Kara?”
Russell bowed his head lower.
“She is here with us,” Meredith answered.
“Ah, you’ve let her in. Opened your doors to death, have you?” Father Isaac asked, chuckling, and then he closed his eyes. “In what state is she, eh? I do hope you've locked her up. She's incredibly dangerous, you know.”
“Locked up, yes. She’s Infected,” Meredith said. “To be awoken. Russell did it himself.”
Father Isaac smiled, returning his gaze to Meredith. “Did he now? After all that, he turned on her? I don’t believe it for a moment.”
“He’s a demon, isn’t he, Father?” Meredith asked, closing in on the Purger.
“A demon, yes,” Father Isaac said to Meredith. He tilted his head, trying to get a look at Russell again. “But it seems to me that he is not the same sort of demon that you are. After all of these years, I still had so much to learn. Let me apologize to him, would you? Please?”
“Apologize? To Russell?” Meredith blinked.
Michael took a step closer and Meredith stopped him, holding out a hand toward her brother. Then, Meredith nodded to the Infected holding Father Isaac.
When he was pulled over to where Russell sat, Father Isaac's leg nearly gave out on him. Russell did not react at all as Father Isaac was released and the older man dropped down to his knees in front of him. Kara strained to see, only being able to get a glimpse of Russell over Father Isaac’s shoulder.
She saw Father Isaac lean in, but she heard nothing. Kara wondered if he were whispering something to Russell. Perhaps the Infected could hear, with their excellent ears, but Kara could not, and she leaned around the tent, unaware of how close Lena was behind her.
Russell grabbed Father Isaac’s he
ad and snapped his neck.
Meredith shrieked. “No! Nooo!”
Michael was on Russell in a second, throwing him down to the ground next to Father Isaac’s corpse, Meredith screaming in rage as she grabbed for the Purger and shook his limp body. Father Isaac was dead, somehow still smiling as Meredith dropped him to the ground and swung around on Russell. Michael had him in a vice grip, Russell struggling weakly against the hard floor as the other Infected began to howl and cry out in anger. The guards that had been holding Father Isaac backed away, their postures lowering.
“You fool!” Meredith cried at Russell. “I wanted to watch him die! I wanted to watch him turn! Why did you do that? Why?”
Russell laughed, choking at the same time, his hands wrapped around Michael’s thick arm as he kicked on his back. “I am… the angel of… mercy!”
“Shall I break his neck too?” Michael asked Meredith.
“No.” Meredith stood over Russell, looking down at him. “He deserves worse than a swift death for what he’s done. Throw him back in his cage and let him starve to death!”
Russell continued to laugh.
“He said it, I heard him!” Russell said. “I am the angel of mercy, and death rides on a pale horse.”
Kara watched as Russell was picked up and dragged off behind the hovels, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt Lena tugging on the back of her shirt and she turned around, instinctively holding a finger up to her own lips to gesture for the girl to be quiet. Lena was shaking her head, pointing away, toward the way they’d come.
“What?” Kara got close to Lena.
Lena whispered into Kara’s ear. “His cage is back that way.”
“That way?” Kara swallowed thickly. She moved to look around the tent again watching as Father Isaac’s body was dragged away. Meredith was holding her brother closely.
“Yeah.” Lena was close to Kara. “Close to the way out.”
Kara clenched her jaw “That’s where I came from. Son of a bitch.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m supposed to be in that cage. That’s where they had him when I got here.”
“Oh.”
“Okay, so, we’ve got to get back there, and fast. And, if he’s got enough strength to fight off those guards, maybe… Damn. He’s so weak. We couldn’t carry him out of here,” Kara breathed, and then closed her eyes. She lifted her head, eyes opening again, turning to Lena. “A pale horse…”