Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set

by Baileigh Higgins

  To the side, a bucket swung on a pulley, used to pull up water for the community. It wouldn’t help us now. It wasn’t designed to carry much weight, and I turned toward Robbie. “Are you ready?”

  His eyes grew wide. “What?”

  “We’re going to jump.”

  “No!” Frantic, he tugged at my grip, trying to pull free. “I can’t!”

  “We have to, Robbie. Please trust me,” I begged the terrified boy.

  “No!” He shook his head violently, still struggling in my grasp.

  “You’re going to be all right, I promise. I’ll look after you.” I gripped his chin and forced him to look me in the eyes. “Robbie, I’m taking you home. I swear it.”

  “What home? My home is gone!”

  “My home, Robbie. I’ll get you there no matter what it takes.”

  He hesitated, but still wouldn’t move. “I’m scared.”

  From the stairs behind us, the sound of howling and running feet echoed. We were out of time. Taking a deep breath, I pulled Robbie into my arms and held him tight. “Then hold onto me and close your eyes.”

  After a second, he wrapped his shivering arms around me and tucked his face into my shoulder. I smiled and whispered in his ear. “We’re going home.”

  Then I jumped.

  Chapter 5 - The Fall

  We fell for what felt like an eternity, the wind rushing up our bodies and whipping our clothes into a frenzy. I clung to Robbie as if he were my salvation, my ticket to a better place in the hereafter. Maybe he is.

  The thought was a surprising one, but it held a ring of truth to it. Perhaps, in saving Robbie, I could save myself, fill the void left behind by my grief.

  All such thoughts evaporated when we hit the water. Freezing liquid enveloped my body, dragging me into its cruel embrace. The air left my lungs in a whoosh as I cried out in sheer shock, and my limbs refused my frantic demands to work, to swim.

  The current grabbed us, and we were sucked under, tumbling head over feet as the river swept us along. I could see nothing but darkness, the moon’s rays unable to penetrate the gorge’s steep walls. Robbie clung to me like a bloodsucking leech, his hands fisted in my shirt, and I knew I was his only hope of survival.

  Swim, damn you! I screamed inside my head, forcing my legs to kick and striking out with both hands. I had to trust to Robbie to hold on for I needed all my strength to get us back to the surface.

  My chest ached, and every molecule in my body screamed for oxygen as I fought against the drag of the river’s hold. Finally, when I thought I was about to pass out, my head broke through the surface. I dragged in a lungful of sweet air before remembering Robbie. With my legs still kicking to keep us afloat, I felt for his face with my hands.

  “Robbie! Robbie!” I cried, screaming to make myself heard above the roar of the river. He didn’t respond, and I slapped him on the cheek. “Robbie, wake up!”

  A sudden gasp and sputter sounded, announcing he was alive, at least. “Luce?”

  His voice was as shrill as a little girl’s, and I had to repress the urge to laugh, no matter how dire our circumstances. “Are you okay?”

  “No!” he said, sputtering once more as we dipped beneath the surface, and I had to work hard to get us up again.

  All notions of laughter slipped away at that sobering reminder, and I said, “You have to help me, Robbie. Kick!”

  “What?”

  He sounded genuinely confused, and I realized it was unlikely he could swim, not growing up on the coast like I had. Poor boy. No wonder he was so scared of jumping into the water. I also remembered the stretch of rapids further down and knew I had to do something quickly, or we’d both drown.

  I gripped him by the shoulders. “Listen closely, Robbie. You have to do what I say, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m going to let go of you and turn around. Hold onto my shoulders and kick with your legs. Got it?”

  “Kick with my legs?”

  “Yes! As hard as you can for as long as you can, no matter what. Just keep kicking,” I cried. “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  I let go of his face and twisted around, fighting the water every step of the way. Robbie clutched at my clothes, his fingers digging into my flesh, and I winced, certain I’d have bruises come morning. Just as I turned, the current changed, sweeping us around a bend and out of the gorge. Moonlight reflected off the water, and I knew the rapids weren’t far away. It was now or never.

  I struck out my arms, swimming like I’d been taught by Dee when I was young. My legs kicked, and I screamed at Robbie over my shoulder. “Kick, Robbie. Kick, damn it, or we’ll die.”

  “I’m trying!” he screamed in my ears.

  I’m not sure how long I swam, angling sideways toward the shore. It felt like an eternity but was likely only a few minutes. Pins and needles stung my skin as the cold seeped into my bones. My teeth chattered, and my efforts grew sluggish. “C…come o…on. S…swim.”

  Suddenly, my feet scraped across gravel, and I nearly cried with relief. With the last of my strength, I got us to shore, collapsing on a sandbank. There I lay, still half submerged with Robbie clinging to my back.

  My muscles burned with fatigue, and even the shaking had stopped. That was a bad sign. Hypothermia was setting in. I knew I had to move, had to find shelter, but I couldn’t. I closed my eyes, exhaling as my consciousness faded.

  In the end, it was Robbie who got us moving. He crawled off my back and dragged me by the arms until I was out of the freezing water. Rubbing my arms and back, he managed to say with chattering teeth, “Luce, we have to go. It’s not safe here. What if there are zombies?”

  That thought galvanized me into action. I blinked and slowly lifted my head. The moon was full, its light painting the landscape silver and blue, deepening to black in the shadows. It was there my eyes focused, wondering what lurked in the deep, waiting to pounce. A spurt of adrenalin got my hands under me. “Help me up.”

  With Robbie’s assistance, I struggled to my feet. “We have to warm up.”

  We stamped our feet and rubbed our limbs to get our blood flowing again until I felt confident we could walk. Patting my hands across my body, I searched my pockets. My machete was long gone, lost during our headlong flight earlier. My bow and quiver were still slung across my back, but the arrows had been lost in the river.

  The gun with its silencer was still in its holster but I dared not use it except in a dire emergency. Then I remembered the knives strapped to my legs, my backup in case of emergencies. I pulled one out, hefting it by the handle. It was a solid blade as long as my hand, razor-sharp and ridged along the back. Good weapons, but not enough. It was all we had, though.

  I surveyed the area we stood in, noting the broad sandy shore that stretched along the river. Tall grass lined the banks, and I was loathe to move into it at night. Many things could be waiting inside its shelter. Lions, hyenas…anything. Zombies weren’t the only predator in the wild, now reclaimed by nature when mankind lost his dominance over the earth. Though reduced in number, many types of animals roamed the continent, unfettered by civilization. They were hunted by the zombies, of course, who’d eat anything alive and kicking, but they had ways of hiding and detecting the undead far superior to my own human abilities.

  As it was, we needed to get moving or we’d die of the cold. Making a swift decision, I turned and walked along the shore, sticking to the open sand and gravel. If attacked, we could always jump back into the river, though I was pretty sure a second swim would kill us. “Come on, Robbie.”

  He fell in behind me, and we trudged forward in silence, careful not to make any noise. I was grateful Robbie understood this important fact, not needing to be told to watch his step and keep quiet. It was ingrained, a part of life. Making noise draws the undead. Period. Even the youngest in the bunker knew that.

  For the next few hours, we kept moving, the moon rising higher and higher in the sky. My clothes dried, and my limbs lo
osened up, but I stayed cold. Judging by Robbie’s pale face, so did he. Goosebumps covered my skin, and I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes.

  It was close to midnight, and I was beginning to despair of finding shelter when a thud made me turn. Robbie had fallen to the ground, and I dropped to my knees next to him. “Robbie? Robbie, get up.”

  “I can’t…so cold.”

  His lips were blue, and his skin icy to the touch. Much like mine. By staying on our feet, we’d kept ourselves going, staving off hypothermia, but not for long.

  Robbie groaned but refused to move despite all my efforts. He needed to rest, but most of all, he needed to warm up. Desperate, I looked around, and that’s when I spotted it. An overhang next to the water with a hole carved out of the earth and a willow tree on top. Its roots hung down across the opening, hiding most of it from view.

  I walked toward it and dragged aside a few of the roots. The hole would fit us both, but only barely. Still, it was better than nothing. With my knife, I cut a handful of willow switches and lined the inside of the overhang until it formed a thick layer. I used another bunch of the supple branches to weave a mat, moving as fast as my frozen fingers would allow.

  At last, I grabbed Robbie by the shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. “Come on, boy. Help me out here. You’re dead weight.”

  “I…I’m sorry,” he said.

  Somehow, I wrestled his lean body into the hole before worming my own way in. Before settling in, I smeared raw dirt over our exposed skin, covering our scent. The flowing river next to us would help as well to cover our smell and any small sounds we might make. With any luck, we’d be safe until morning.

  I pulled the woven mat over us and scattered more dirt over it before arranging the hanging roots over the opening. Only then did I relax, drawing the shivering Robbie to my chest and holding him tight.

  Gradually, our shared body warmth filled the hole, aided by the willow branches and leaves. We both stopped shivering, and Robbie’s deep breathing told me he was asleep. Relieved, I allowed my own eyes to drift shut, though I clutched the knife in my right hand, ready for anything. What the morning would bring I didn’t know. I only knew I had a responsibility to keep Robbie safe and come what may, I’d get him home. No matter what the cost.

  Chapter 6 - Rude Awakening

  I shifted in my sleep, attempting to ease my cramped leg muscles. The tiny hole we slept in was warm, our shared body heat filling the space with ease, but it did not make for a comfortable bed. As I twitched, a crackling noise snapped my eyes wide open, and every nerve in my body tensed in expectation of danger.

  I blinked rapidly, frantic for my eyes to adjust to the low light. Dawn was almost upon us, the sun’s first rays bursting over the horizon and lightening the murk to an indeterminate gray. My vision cleared, and I tensed, fingers clenched around the handle of the knife. Through the roots and woven mat that covered the entrance, I spotted movement. Slow, shuffling, awkward motion. Zombie!

  Against me, Robbie stirred, and I pressed my hand to his lips. His eyes flew open, confused, and I shook my head in a bid to warn him. The zombie outside our hiding spot groaned, that peculiar raspy moan they emitted from their dry, mummified throats, and Robbie tensed. His limbs began to tremble, and I knew he was on the verge of panic.

  “Don’t move,” I mouthed silently, shaking my head once more. “Okay?”

  I waited until he nodded before I removed my hand from his mouth and stared at the zombie. Our options were limited. Stay hidden until it found us, because it would, being so close. Or…attack first.

  There were other things to consider, however. Zombies rarely traveled alone, preferring to move in packs. Also, my body was stiff from being stuffed into a cramped position all night long. Sudden movement was a problem.

  I listened closely, hoping for more clues. All I could hear was the shuffling of one set of feet. Maybe the zom was alone. That would count in our favor. Without waiting any longer, I willed my legs to unfold, placing both feet flat on the ground. I hunched forward, my eyes narrowed and my focus fixed on the enemy. The hair on my arms prickled in anticipation.

  It must have sensed something because it paused, its head shifting from side to side. I launched forward, ready to fight, but my muscles betrayed me. Instead of the swift explosive lunge I needed, I half-lurched and half-fell out of the hole.

  The ground rose up to meet me as I tripped over my numb feet and plowed face first into the dirt. Above me, the zombie snarled at my sudden appearance. Instinct took over, and I rolled over just as it attacked.

  The infected clawed at the spot where I’d been, and I scrambled further away from it in a crab walk. Pushing to my knees, I slashed at its exposed neck, cutting through muscle and tendon. Black sludge leaked from the cut, and it turned its skeletal face toward me, grinning with its lipless mouth. Rotten teeth gnashed at the air, stained with time and old meals.

  Using my low position to my advantage, I thrust upward with the knife, burying it in the soft tissue beneath the chin. The blade sank to the hilt, the point piercing the brain and rendering the corpse useless. It stiffened as the life that used to animate it faded away, its shriveled eyes rolling back in its sockets.

  I pushed the body away from me with a shudder and swiftly sprang to my feet. There could be more. Whirling in a circle, I searched the area for any other signs of infected, but there were none. The sandy embankment was empty.

  With a sigh of relief, I walked to the water’s edge and cleaned my knife. “You can come out now, Robbie. It’s dead.”

  “Are you sure?” came the shaky reply.

  “Dead sure,” I said, grinning at my own stupid pun.

  The joke flew over his head, and he emerged with a scared shitless look on his face. I found that funny too but didn’t dare laugh at the boy for fear of setting him off. For him, the barren land around us hid danger beneath every rock and leaf. Which it did, in all fairness. I was just more used to being outside the bunker than he was.

  Which brought me to the next problem. Facing us was a journey of epic proportions. Between us and safety lay at least a hundred kilometers of zombie infested countryside. Any cities we came across were bound to be death traps, either derelict remnants of civilization stripped to the bone of anything useful or bursting at the seams with the undead.

  We had no food, no water, no clothes, no medicine, and no real weapons, only two knives and a bow with no arrows. Robbie was helpless, a burden, and I knew the chances of us making it on foot were slim. Still, we had to try, and I called him over. “Strip off your clothes and wash.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. You reek of sweat and fear. The only working senses the zoms have left are smell and hearing, and they’ll locate you within seconds. Me too.” With those words, I kicked off my boots, followed by the rest of my outfit. Without waiting for Robbie, I waded into the water, sucking in a breath as the icy cold set in. With a handful of sand, I scrubbed every inch of my body, ignoring the boy’s stares.

  Robbie followed my example, albeit more slowly. He averted his eyes from my half-naked body, blushing until his cheeks flamed with hot blood.

  “What? Never seen a girl in her undies before?” I teased, well aware that he hadn’t. “First time for everything.”

  He mumbled something I couldn’t hear while I dried off and got dressed again, my every sense alert for more danger. It felt good to be clean again, a feeling that wouldn’t last as I prepared myself for my next job.

  While Robbie finished bathing, I dragged the zombie corpse over and gutted it with my knife, gagging as the entrails bulged through the slit and spilled their putrid contents. After cleansing my knife once more and putting it away, I plunged my hands into the infected’s abdomen with a shiver of disgust.

  Robbie watched with his mouth agape as I smeared the slimy contents over my clothes.

  “Is that…does that really work?” Robbie asked, inching closer, his face growing pale when the stench reached his
nostrils.

  I shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “Why do it then?” he said, backing away from the mess of organs I tried to hand him.

  I sighed, sitting back on my haunches. “As I said before, the zombies are blind, but they can both hear and smell you. Covering our scent is our first priority, moving without sound is our second. While I don’t know if this will work, smelling like one of them can’t be a bad thing, can it?”

  “Maybe,” Robbie said, looking dubious.

  “It’s worth a try. Let’s just hope we don’t have to put this camouflage to serious use,” I said, thrusting the dripping mess in my hands at him again. “Put this on then wash your hands. Clean your nails too. Don’t get any in your face, especially your eyes and mouth.”

  Robbie looked like he wanted to cry, but to his credit, he obeyed. Once we’d finished our ablutions, I straightened up and gazed around. “If I remember correctly, there’s a town to the East. We should head there for supplies.”

  “What about this?” Robbie asked, fishing an empty glass bottle out of the riverbank. It’d been buried in the sand, and I’d missed it.

  I smiled. “You genius. It’ll provide us with water for the walk, at least. Fill it up and stopper it with something.”

  “Is the water safe to drink?”

  I paused, thinking about it. “Fairly. It’s a running stream, but we should boil the water before we drink it just to be safe. I’ll make a fire.”

  With the bottle acting as a magnifier, I started a small blaze and inserted the full bottle into the flames. Once it boiled, I fished it out and set it aside to cool. The entire time, I paced the perimeter, keeping an eye out for infected. A lone zombie was unusual, and I kept expecting more to show up. While waiting, I found a thick, sturdy branch and stripped the leaves and twigs from it before snapping the point off at an angle.

  “Here. Take this. If we’re attacked, jab the end into their eyes or use the stick to sweep them off their feet,” I said, handing the makeshift weapon to the boy.