by Ryan Casey
A gift from above.
The thing he’d dreamed about, in his limited sleep.
The thing that so many people showed faith in him for.
The thing they kneeled to him for.
And it was all bullshit.
All complete and utter bullshit.
He sipped the whisky again, felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach. Of course he didn’t believe in prophecy or any of that crap. He didn’t believe in God. He didn’t believe in fantasy.
But the truth was, people liked to believe in a higher power. And if you could convince enough people to believe in your version of a higher power… well, you’ve got yourself a following right there.
Humanity has always longed for order and structure. And it’s always told itself stories. Stories of gods, whether deities in the sky or the blind faith we display in a bunch of numbers in a bank account. We actually structured our lives around the collective lie that money has value, and without money, you are worthless.
And if everyone stopped believing in that myth for a second, the world would change overnight.
The blackout had proven that.
He looked down at the houses. The houses where his people, his followers, lived. They believed in him. Sure, it hadn’t started with any sort of religiosity. But that’s where it’d gone. A blind faith in him as a leader because he was charismatic and charming, and he kept them safe and made them feel valued.
The truth?
He used to be a salesman. He was good at the whole bullshitting act.
It wasn’t bad, though. Dishonest, maybe. But people needed a figurehead, and he was it. Was that so wrong? Giving them something to believe in? Was giving people hope really such a crime?
He looked up, above the town, and over at the darkness of the woods. Over towards the smoke still rising from that helicopter. He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but presumably euphoria.
But now, he’d have to think of a new way of extending the euphoria. A new way of making sure his power stretched on, despite the completion of his “prophecy.”
Because he’d tasted power. And he wanted to keep it.
And if anyone got in the way of that—even a man from the fucking sky—then he’d do all in his power to stop them.
He’d find a way to make it work. The idiots below him would follow him. They always did.
He sipped the whisky and thought of something else he’d seen. When he was out there. Something that sent a shiver up his spine.
Because it couldn’t be her. She’d be far, far away from here now.
Right?
But then he remembered how she’d appeared out of nowhere.
How she’d looked back.
The way she’d looked into his eyes…
He pushed that thought aside. Pushed the heartbreak aside. He’d been down that road already. He didn’t want to traverse it again.
He finished his whisky.
Then he walked away from his balcony, got into bed, and closed his eyes.
He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.
But right now, he was the strongest he’d ever been to these people.
And he wasn’t going to let that strength slip.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When Aoife opened her eyes, she immediately knew something was wrong.
She felt boiling hot. The air inside this wooden cabin was clammy, suffocatingly so. She felt totally gross, drenched in sweat. Just wanted to jump in a nice cool river and wash it all away.
But, like most days, she probably wasn’t going to get much of a chance of that.
It was bright in here. Sometime in the morning. Something told her it was later than she’d intended waking up, too. She felt stiff from the sofa. Her neck and her back ached like mad. Her shoulder didn’t feel great, but it wasn’t bleeding as bad as she was expecting. Kayleigh had clearly done a decent job on it.
And then she remembered Thomas.
Robert’s people.
And…
“Kayleigh,” she said.
She looked over at the mattress where Kayleigh had slept, and her stomach sank.
Kayleigh was nowhere to be seen.
And neither was Rex.
Aoife stood up right away, a little dizzy, a little shaky. Shoulder still sore from the arrow yesterday. She looked around the cabin, but there was nowhere to hide in this little shithole.
They were gone.
She turned around. Walked over to the door. Panic kicking in. What if something had happened in the night? What if something had gone wrong, and she’d slept through it all?
Or what if…
No. She didn’t want to think about that possibility.
But what if Kayleigh had walked away—and taken Rex with her?
Aoife stood there, shaking. There was only one thing she could do. She had to go outside. She had to find her.
Because right now, she could feel nothing but terror. Total terror.
She opened the door. Stepped outside.
The sun shone down brightly. Another warm, gorgeous summer’s day.
But it was all so quiet outside.
There was no sign of life.
A slight smell of smoke in the air still, from the helicopter crash.
No sign of life.
No sign of anything.
“Kayleigh,” Aoife shouted. Looking around. Walking aimlessly towards the trees ahead. Then turning back, heading in the other direction. Fuck. Where’d she gone? Where’d she gone, and what’d happened?
She stood there, alone, and suddenly felt very vulnerable. Realised just how much she valued Rex’s company. And just how much she longed for so much more company, too.
She couldn’t be alone.
She had to find Kayleigh.
She had to find Rex.
She ran towards the trees up ahead. Over towards where they opened up, led to the field.
But it didn’t matter how far she ran. There was no sign of her. No sign of either of them.
She ran back. But as she ran, she became aware of a presence. Like someone was here. Like someone was watching.
No. It’s in your head. There’s nobody here. Just find her. Just find them both.
She ran back towards Kayleigh’s cabin. Then ran behind it. Gasping for air. A massive stitch in her chest. But nothing stopping her.
She had to find them.
She couldn’t let them go.
She stopped. Put her hands on her knees. All kinds of possibilities surging through her mind. She’d been kidnapped. She’d taken off with Rex. Or she’d taken off alone, and Rex had followed her, and now he was lost…
No.
She had to keep her shit together.
She ran back through the woods, searching every fucking nook and cranny for a sign of the pair of them. Hoping. Praying.
And she reached the same starting point, the cabin, and planted her hands against her knees again.
“Kayleigh,” she shouted. “Rex!”
“Yeah?”
She jumped. Turned around.
Saw Kayleigh standing by the cabin door. A squirrel over her shoulder. Rex by her side, wagging his tail, nonchalant as anything.
Anger surged through Aoife’s body. “Where the fuck were you?”
“Chill out,” Kayleigh said. “I went to catch us some breakfast—”
“You don’t just fucking walk off with my dog.”
“He followed. Clearly got sick of you lying there, lazing about. Wanted to stretch his legs. Thought I was doing you a favour. Now do you want some breakfast or what?”
Aoife didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what to say. All she knew was that she was relieved, deep down. Relieved that Kayleigh was back. That Rex was here.
But also afraid at just how she’d reacted to their disappearance.
How she’d reacted to being plunged into solitude.
“Come on,” Kayleigh said. “I’ll just grab a few things. I’ve got a fire going, and we’ll get
it cooked. Squirrel’s my speciality.”
Then she turned around, walked back into the cabin, Rex following closely behind.
All Aoife could do was stand there.
Watch.
Shaking.
But she had to concede she was pretty fucking hungry.
She sat around the fire, finished chewing on the squirrel, and looked up and saw Kayleigh staring over at her.
“What?” Aoife asked.
“Nothing.”
“You might as well say it.”
“I just… You scared me earlier.”
Kayleigh rolled her eyes. Sighed as she chewed a chunk of squirrel meat, a little juice dribbling down her chin. “What did you think I was gonna do? Disappear and take your dog with me?”
“Well…”
“You did, didn’t you? No, seriously. I’m more of a cat person. Always have been. Or at least a little toy dog, anyway. Not a big lump like this.”
Speaking to her, hearing her say these things, hearing these relics from the old world, from the old Kayleigh, it was strange.
It’s like there was a battle going on between the old, girly Kayleigh and this new, hardened version of herself.
“Look,” Kayleigh said. “Your dog’s fed. And now you are too. Sorry for freaking you out. But I have to admit the look on your face was quite funny.”
She smirked at that. And as pissed as Aoife was, she found herself shaking her head and smirking too.
“So what now?” Aoife asked.
Kayleigh’s face dropped. Clearly it was a question she was hoping would be delayed a little longer. “What do you mean?”
“Thomas. Robert’s people…”
“Oh, you’re not still on that, are you?”
“I can’t just let it go,” Aoife said. “I can’t just ignore something like that.”
“Then more fool you. But my position’s not changed, Aoife. And it won’t change. I can’t go back there. I can’t see… I just can’t go back there.”
“What happened to you there?”
Kayleigh opened her mouth. Looked over at Aoife, then looked down at the ground again. “Some things are better not spoken about. You’ll know that, just as well as I do.”
Aoife thought about Seth, her brother. She thought about Grace and the rest of her people. She thought about Max and how he’d died.
“I get that. But that doesn’t change how I feel.”
“Then I wish you luck,” Kayleigh said.
She stood up. Walked past Aoife without even looking at her.
“So that’s it?” Aoife asked.
Kayleigh shrugged. “You made your choice.”
“You’re my friend,” Aoife said, standing, turning. “You’re my friend, and you’re going to just walk away? Just like that?”
“You’re the one who wants to go after the helicopter guy. You’re the one who wants to fuck with Robert. Not me.”
She turned again. Started walking off towards the trees. And Aoife knew she should show some restraint. Some self-control.
But she just couldn’t help herself.
“What happened to you to make you so cold?”
Kayleigh stopped.
She looked around.
Looked right into Aoife’s eyes with something that Aoife had never seen in her before.
Something like hatred for even posing the question.
“More than you’d ever fucking understand,” she said.
She turned around. Looked back at the woods.
“Good luck, Aoife. You know where I am if you see sense. But I don’t tend to stay put in one place, so… well. Good luck.”
There was so much Aoife wanted to say.
So many ways she wanted to fight.
But all she could do was watch as Kayleigh walked off into the woods.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Colin watched the woman walk through the trees and couldn’t quite believe it was actually bloody her.
It was a damned fine day. Blue skies, bright sunshine. Nice and toasty. The kind of day Colin used to wake up to on a weekend, then get in the garden and crack open a beer asap. Used to lie there in the heat of the sun, burning away, dreaming of the day he’d get to retire. Move over to somewhere in Europe. Bulgaria, or somewhere like that. Dirt cheap property. Dirt cheap booze. Plenty of sun. The absolute dream.
But like everyone else, it didn’t look like he’d be going to Bulgaria any time soon. At least not until last night, anyway, when Robert’s prophecy of the man falling from the sky came true.
He’d always been a bit suspicious about Robert’s prophecy. Figured it was a way to get the idiots to stay on board when shit started hitting the fan. Never really believed in all that crap. Seemed too far-fetched. He’d never been a religious guy in the first place, so the chance Robert was some damned prophet or other just seemed impossible.
But, credit to the guy, a bloke had fallen from the sky last night. And while he was still unconscious now, they were gonna speak to him today—or tomorrow, or whenever he woke up. If he woke up.
And they were gonna find out where he came from and what he had to offer.
But the strange thing about all that?
Robert wanted Colin to go out and scan the woods. Because he was convinced he’d seen a certain someone.
Colin thought he was mad. Thought he was finally losing the damned plot.
But now he was here, morning, on the edge of the woods by some creepy-looking cabin, and he couldn’t actually believe what he was looking at.
Or rather, who he was looking at.
She looked thinner. Bigger circles under her eyes. Not the picture of health, that was for sure.
But there was no denying this was exactly who Robert was looking for.
It was Kayleigh.
He watched her closely. Held his breath. A smile tugging at his cheeks.
Robert was going to be so damned pleased when he took Kayleigh home.
So, so damned pleased.
He held his breath, waited for Kayleigh to walk by, and then stood.
Robert was going to be very, very happy with him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Aoife watched Kayleigh walk off into the woods, and she felt completely at a loss about what to do next.
She still felt muggy and hot. Up ahead, a warm breeze blew against the branches of the trees, making them sway. She could hear the birdsong. Still smell that smoke from the crashed helicopter in the air. Tasted the squirrel on her mouth, which was surprisingly delicious in all truth. She’d eaten plenty of squirrel this last year and a half, but Kayleigh was right: there was something extra special about her method. No idea what it was about it, but it’d certainly ticked a few boxes, that was for sure.
Rex stood by her side, sniffing the ground. And Aoife just stood there too. Looking into the distance. Like she was caught between three choices.
Go after Kayleigh. Walk away with her. Leave Thomas Suzuki and leave Robert and go her own way with her.
Or go after Kayleigh and fight with her even more. Try and convince her not to walk away.
Or…
The third option made her shiver.
Go after Robert herself.
Go after Thomas herself.
The thought of acting alone felt scary. Scarier now than it did before. One taste of connection, and suddenly, Aoife wanted more of it.
But regardless of what she decided, she was at a crossroads. A crossroads where she had to decide what was for the best.
She thought about walking away with Kayleigh. Something was appealing about it. Two old friends. And chances were, like Kayleigh said, if one helicopter had crashed, then there would be others out there. It would only be a matter of time.
But what if something happened to Kayleigh?
What if no more helicopters came?
What then?
Then there was the convincing Kayleigh argument. But that didn’t seem like it’d have any use. Kayleigh had made her mind up, and sh
e wasn’t changing it.
So that left her with the third option.
Go after Robert herself.
She looked off, over towards where the helicopter had crashed. Pictured the fields beyond, the fields where Kyle and his people had been butchered.
Robert’s people were ruthless, that was for sure. And they weren’t the kind of people she wanted to mess with.
She was going to have to be careful. Very careful.
She thought of a fourth option, then. Go off on her own. Stay with Rex. Do what she’d been doing the last six months.
But then… just the thought of that made her skin crawl.
One way or another, her days alone were over.
It was time for something different.
It was time for something new.
She looked ahead at the woods and thought of Kayleigh, and even though she knew there was no winning her over, she couldn’t just let her walk away.
She couldn’t just let her go.
Not when they’d been reunited like this, totally by chance.
“Screw it,” she said, walking on. “Let’s go get her, Rex.”
She rushed through the trees, following in Kayleigh’s footsteps. “Kayleigh!” Her voice echoed through the woods. The birds went quiet. Rabbits running away.
Everything so silent.
The further she walked, the more ominous everything started to feel. Where the hell was she? She couldn’t have got that far.
“Kayleigh!” Aoife called.
But her voice just echoed back to her.
For a moment, as she stood there in the middle of these woods, she wondered if Kayleigh was ignoring her. If she’d had enough of her. And how that made her feel.
The desperate loneliness, the undying need for connection, right at her core.
She shook her head, cupped her hands around her mouth, and went to shout again when she suddenly noticed something up ahead.
A man.
A man running away with something over his shoulder.
Or someone.
Aoife rushed forward. Sprinted ahead to get a clearer view. A sense of dread growing. A feeling like she knew what this was. Knew exactly what this was already.