Human Nature (Book 1): Human Nature I

by Borthwick, Finlay

  Tina shut down Erica’s concerns, “Well, within a day of a nuclear missile being launched, radiated mutants began showing up. That’s a process which would usually take years to happen. But the apocalypse itself, the decaying of our world, that’s why it happened so quickly. It’s the same here, Erica. There’s no logic left. If Elliot’s in power so soon, then that’s just the way things are. We can’t question it!” They smiled at each other, “Alright, I’ll try,” Erica brought Tina in for a hug whilst everyone around them continued to laugh with Elliot’s improvised comedic speech. Erica used the hug to hide her face, as her expression was still one of deep concern.

  Day +5

  Reed had been in solitary confinement for five days now. “Excuse me,” He sounded very tired, and was breathing heavily. “Can I please… Water…” He couldn’t even mange to form proper sentences. “Your next round of refreshments isn’t for another two hours’ time sir,” the guard opened the hatch on the door to inform Reed.

  “What? Two… two hours?” For him, time was passing much more slowly. “But… now….” Again, he didn’t have the energy to form an entire sentence.

  “Give him some water man!” Reed slightly recognised a commanding voice from outside. “Come on, we’re not monsters here. Hurry it up!” The guard obeyed this ominous voice, as Reed heard the guard pouring water outside. The entire door was unlocked and unbolted for the first time in a while.

  Reed crawled to the open door, his hands still cuffed. “You’ve left him cuffed this entire time?” The man was angry with the guard, as the guard went pale. “Dearie me!” He took the glass of water and the keys from the guard, unlocking Reed’s cuffs and giving him the water, “Drink,” The man poured it directly as Reed guzzled it. Once the glass was empty, Reed breathed rapidly again. “Elliot’s waiting for you…”

  As Reed’s vision became clear again, the next thing he knew he was seated in William’s trailer – except the man behind the desk was instead Elliot. “You? I don’t…” Reed coughed, still unable to form sentences.

  “Yes, me. Hello Reed.” Elliot was still wearing casual clothes by his own request. “I apologise for leaving you in there for so long. I had requested for your release two days ago. William here however felt your punishment had not been truly served.” Reed looked up at Elliot, realising now what Elliot’s role was. “Wait… You bastard!” He spat him, making sure a long stretch of saliva covered Elliot’s face. “You’re kidding me right? Elliot, you were like my best friend! What the hell is this?” Reed tried getting out of his chair, but he had been tied down. “Screw you! Screw you, Elliot!” Again, he tried to spit, but instead found himself choking on his own anger. “Water!” Elliot commanded Raphael, who was waiting at the door.

  Raphael first looked to his father for confirmation, “Don’t just stand there, son! Do as Elliot commands!” Reed bowed his head before leaving the trailer.

  Raphael walked across the camp, headed towards the well. On his way, he noticed the door to Gwen’s caravan was open. Looking around, Raphael saw no one nearby and headed into the caravan.

  “Gwen?” He crouched as he entered, but the caravan was empty. “Gwen?” He asked one more time. Behind him, the caravan door closed. “Raphael…” Gwen appeared, as Raphael pulled out his knife, “Whatever this is, stay back!” But he had gotten the wrong idea.

  Gwen walked towards him slowly, “Tell me, Raphael. How much do you love your father? Really?” Raphael slowly lowered the knife, but made sure it was still in a position of threat, “Why is that relevant?” Gwen shrugged, “Who knows. Just answer the damn question though.”

  He swallowed hard, “Well… A lot.” Gwen nodded, “Not as much as you did last week though, right? Not as much you did, before Elliot took control.” Again, Raphael swallowed hard. “You and me are the same in this aspect.” Gwen pulled out her gun, holding it out in front of her. “I know you dislike my group. I dislike you and this place as well to be honest. Therefore, here’s the deal: I’ll take my group and we’ll leave this place, no one else has to get hurt… Well, except for one.”

  Raphael put his knife away again, “What do you want, Gwen?” He squinted at her suspiciously.

  Gwen held the gun out even further in front of her, gesturing to it. Raphael took it, and examined it. “There’s only one bullet in there. That’s for the safety of the rest of the people here. You better make that one bullet count…” She looked at him sincerely. “What do you want me to do?” Raphael looked up from the gun and at Gwen.

  “I want you to kill Elliot…”

  Day 8+

  Elliot had been in power for a week now. Everywhere he walked through the camp, people greeted him as though he was a celebrity. He made many jokes with the camp citizens, keeping all of them on his side.

  “Well Elliot, I must say…” William was visiting Elliot in his – or what used to be his – trailer. “You’re doing a fine job with the locals. Everyone loves you! I mean, of course you do have the odd folk here and there who are opposed to you, but like with all leaders, that’s natural!” William was truly pleased with Elliot’s progression. “Will, I’m happy to help. Not just now, but for the rest of your life. Even beyond that, my friend.” They shook hands, “This camp’s future is secured. I trust you very much!” There was a short pause, followed by a knock at the door – it was no ordinary lock, it was as though it was Morse code.

  “Oh, William. Perhaps we could continue this another time?” Elliot knew exactly what the knock meant, as he found the quickest to get William out of the trailer. “Yes, of course. Good day to you, my friend.” He left the trailer, noticing Gwen outside as he left. The two engaged looks of conflict with each other, before William broke away from Gwen’s glare.

  “So…” She entered the trailer and closed the door behind her. “You’re doing pretty well. Even Reed still believes your little act.” Just like William, Elliot raised his hands joyfully, “Well, what can I say? I’m a master of… everything, nowadays.” He produced a wine bottle from under his desk, “Have this on me.” He offered it to Gwen, “Go on. Just as a small ‘thanks’ for helping me with my little ‘act’.” She smiled warmly, accepting the bottle. “Please, sit.”

  Gwen poured some of the wine into her glass. “Are you not going to have some?” She asked him, as he raised his hand, “I don’t drink, remember?” It took her a few seconds to remember the story of Elliot’s father, “Oh, of course… Anyway, you asked to see me?”

  Elliot leant forward over his desk, “Raphael. You did speak to him, right?” Elliot raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Of course. Three days ago, actually. He fully believes that I have betrayed you.” They both laughed, “And does he even suspect that the bullet in the gun is a blank?” Elliot asked. Gwen shook her head, “No. He has absolutely no idea.” This confused Elliot, “Then why hasn’t he tried to kill me yet? Three days, Gwen. Three days, and he’s done nothing.”

  She shrugged, “No idea… But, maybe this wasn’t the best way to go about reducing the overpopulation problem this camp presents. I mean, think about it. You’re relying on Raphael to use that bullet and then for William to allow us to execute his own son in order to start a civil war, which at another push will be more than some peaceful or cold protest.” Gwen had to point out the flaws.

  “Don’t worry, I do know what I’m doing. Remember, now that I’m in charge, we don’t need William’s permission to execute Raphael. Once he has tried to kill me, we can execute him freely. With a bit of luck, some of the residents will find that extreme. If they then make attempts on my life, the residents I have on my side will fight back. Gwen, trust me, the plan works. Some are likely to flee anyway.”

  Again, Gwen pointed out another flaw in his plan. “Only the guards have guns, remember? The armoury is about as locked up as the Bank of England. What, you think that a melee war is our solution?”

  Elliot smiled fiendishly, “I’m counting on it…”

  A small group of survivors huddled around a large ca
mpfire. Following their recent loss, the evening was rather quiet. Huddled around the campfire were:

  Tobin: A man in his early 50s. He had assimilated a natural position of leadership over the rest of the group. This was purely because everyone else in the group had their lives saved by him in one way or another. He was rather tall and broad-shouldered.

  Ellie: Tobin’s daughter, a woman in her late 20s, just like Elliot and Olivia. She was similar to her father in the sense that while she appeared cold on the outside, she did indeed have a heart and helped save the lives of many apocalypse survivors along the way. She was rather short, with short brown hair as well.

  Gisela – A middle aged woman of African-British decent. She was the most outgoing member of the group, often acting as an ‘ambassador’ between her comrades and other potential hostile groups. Her husband is also a member of the group.

  James – A middle aged man of African-British decent just like his wife. He has conflicted with Tobin several times over the leadership position, however they were also rather close friends from the amount of time they had spent with each other throughout the apocalypse. By pure coincidence, they had also briefly encountered in a department store not long before the apocalypse began.

  Emilia – Just like Ellie, she too was in her late 20s. She sat on the opposite side of the campfire away from the rest of her group. This was mostly because the group’s most recent loss had been her boyfriend. As she looked down at the ground remembering him, she had to keep flicking her long blonde hair out of her face.

  “Emilia,” Ellie tried to get through to her, but she still wouldn’t look up. “Emilia please, just look at me. I’m really worried about you.” Voicing her concerns however did not help. She looked back to her father for assistance. Tobin moved to the other side of the campfire, sitting next to Emilia.

  “Look up, Em’. Just look up there. Look up at the stars.” But she wouldn’t. “Emilia… Look.” He sincerely got through to her, still with sympathetic intentions however. “You see that star there?” She finally looked up into the night sky through her teary-eyes. “Look at how bright it is. Look at how much it twinkles. Do you know why it’s shimmering?”

  She gazed upon it. “It’s him, Emilia. That’s Adam right up there. That star is him. And know that he will always be with you in two places. He’ll be watching you from up there, and he’ll be guiding you from in here,” Tobin pointed to her heart area. She continued to gaze at the bright shimmering star.

  “My wife is up there too,” Tobin added. Ellie looked over to him with a daring look on her face. “You don’t get to talk about mum,” She interrupted the heartfelt conversation. “Ellie, please, not now!” He gritted, gesturing to Emilia who still appeared to be hypnotised by the star.

  “What? What are you afraid of, dad? She deserves to know the truth! Emilia honey,” Ellie grabbed her hand, “I’m sorry, but my dad is full of bullshit. Your boyfriend is not up there. My mother is not up there. No one is up there! That twinkling star really is just a burning ball of gas. And we are just sentient organic creatures. When we die, we die. End of!” Emilia pulled her hand away, running away from the campfire, beginning to cry distressfully.

  “Make sure she stays here,” Tobin looked to Gisela and James before pursuing Emilia through the night.

  Later that day once Gisela had fallen asleep, James moved around the campfire over to Ellie – who was still very much wide awake. “You really shouldn’t have done that; you know?” He pointed out the obvious to her. “That poor woman has just lost her boyfriend. Why would you rub it in like that?” He was also determined to find out the cause of Ellie’s anger.

  “It happened before the apocalypse even began… I still can’t believe the circumstances…” Though Ellie was being ambiguous, James knew she was referring to her mother’s death, “How did it happen?” She gazed into the fire, not blinking. “Car crash. One moment, she was fine. Driving away… I mean to… I mean from…” She shook her head rapidly, “Doesn’t matter.” James stopped her at this part of the story, “Driving to where? Driving from where?” She didn’t respond at first, prompting him to repeat his question.

  “She was driving away from home. She had an argument with dad… She threatened to pack up and leave. I’d never expected her to actually go through with it, but she did… Next thing you know, she’s dead. Just like that.” Ellie continued to stare into the fire. “She must’ve been driving so recklessly because of that argument. The thing is, that’s how I knew she was gone for good. If she was still alive, I doubt she would let me live on in this world. I would be dead too. My mother would show me mercy. Always.”

  James looked back at Gisela, making sure she was asleep still. “Look, your father and Emilia will be back soon,” he was optimistic about their return. “Once they do return, I would like you to apologise to the both of them. There’s no time for grudges in this world, Ellie. You and I both know that. If you don’t apologise to them, your anger will swallow you whole. Then, you will be more than just dead.”

  Ellie now looked away from the fire and at him, “You’re only saying that because you know I’m right. You know my mother isn’t up there. You know Adam isn’t up there. You know they’re both dead.” James swallowed hard. “It matters not. What does matter is who is still here. Your father is still here. Emilia is still here. That’s what counts, Ellie.” He emphasised the end of his argument, “That’s what counts…”

  “Emilia!” Tobin called out through the woods, his voice echoing out. “Emilia!” He continued to call for her in all different directions, but he heard nothing. He bent down to catch his breath after running for so long.

  In the distance, he heard a twig snap. “Emilia?” he had lowered his voice slightly out of fear, but still believed it could be her hiding from him. “Anyone?” He varied his callout. “Is there someone up there? Hello?” He cupped his mouth with his hands, “Hello over there!” His voice resonated, but still no one and nothing responded to him.

  A second twig snapped, this time much closer to him. He pulled out his handgun, “I warn you! Stay back, whoever you are! I will not hesitate to kill you!” He looked around the area, but still there was nothing in any direction. Behind him, he could hear leaves crunching lightly, as though someone was sneaking up. He acted as though he could not hear them to keep the element of surprise on his side.

  As the crunching came closer to him, he spun around, “Halt!” At the end of his gun, Emilia was being held with a knife over her throat. “Drop your damn weapon!” The woman holding her hostage demanded. “Alright, alright, fair play!” Tobin threw his pistol out into the trees. A second person appeared, claiming the gun for themselves’. “It’s got a full clip!” The man remarked, holstering the pistol on his side.

  A second woman appeared from the trees behind Tobin, “Keep your hands up. No funny business,” she pointed her carbine at him. The first woman moved in to pat Tobin down. She pulled his pocket knife off of his side and flicked out the blade. She pierced her finger on the end of it and winced slightly, “Very sharp indeed. I see you’ve oiled it properly as well.” He nodded and slowly put his hands down. The carbine clicked, “Back up! Back up, now!” The second woman ordered him to raise his hands again.

  “Look, just leave my friend be, hey? She’s just lost her boyfriend. You seem like the kind of people who know about loss.” The first woman put her knife away, pushing Emilia towards Tobin as she hugged him, “That was horrible!” She whispered through her tears. “It’s alright, it’s over now,” Tobin tried to reassure her.

  “What’s your name?” The woman asked him. “My name? It’s Tobin. The woman you held hostage,” he gestured to that same woman in his arms, “Is called Emilia. Who might you three be then?” Tobin looked at each of them.

  The first woman pulled her cloth down from her mouth, “His name is Miguel,” she nodded towards him, “And she is called Vanessa,” she nodded towards her as well. “As for me, well, I have many names now. The on
e I go by most commonly however, is Annabelle…”

  Chapter 25

  Day 14+

  After two weeks in power, Elliot was still surprised to see that Raphael had made no attempt on his life yet. He had decided to meet Gwen in private. “Are you absolutely certain he even considered the idea?” Elliot was bewildered by Raphael’s lack of actions. “He didn’t consider it, he opted to flat out do it.” Gwen was certain, however another thought had crossed her mind, “Wait…” She looked over to her sink, rushing towards it. “What? Gwen? What is it?” Elliot was just as startled.

  “I knew it!” She found a walkie-talkie hidden behind her upright knife board. “More like he knew it,” Elliot pointed out. “How could he have possibly known I was triple-crossing him?” Gwen was confused, but Elliot knew exactly how this was possible. “Think about it, Gwen. Imagine you in his position. A group of strangers turn up on your door step, one of them is invited to become the leader of your place, and then another member of that same group tries to help you take out their own friend in a high place. Does it not seem crazy to you?” He had rushed his speech so quickly that Gwen was completely lost with regards to what he was saying, “Um… yea, sure. I guess.” The walkie-talkie produced a short static noise, “What the heck?” She fiddled with it, but again, Elliot already knew what had happened. “That was probably Raphael tuning out of the channel. He’s heard all he needed to.”