Soulless Wanderers: Soulless Wanderers Book 1

by Drew Strickland

  “Just—” the voice stopped talking and nothing but a loud grunt came after.

  “You okay back there?” Daniel asked, knowing something was going on, but was still being cautious. Nothing but sounds of a scuffle. He decided to take a glance behind him.

  Cole had his arms wrapped around the guard’s throat. The man had lost the grip on the gun but was still alive. He struggled, but Cole managed to keep a hold of him. The man yelled, but Cole quickly wrapped his hand around the man’s mouth to shut him up. They stood in a strange-looking hug, with weapons and arms wrapped everywhere. Daniel reacted by grabbing the rifle from the ground. There was no shot he could take, unless he wanted to take the risk of killing Cole, plus alerting the rest of the camp with a gunshot.

  The man got his grip back on the gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet kicked up dirt from the field, missing anything he could have possibly been hoping to hit. Still, it was enough to have the effect Daniel wasn’t hoping for. The lights kicked on in the house. Cole managed to get the knife off the guard’s belt in the front. He pulled the knife up in front of his face, but the man grabbed his wrist. They struggled for moments, but Cole had the better leverage. Daniel could see it in Cole’s eyes, he wanted this.

  Cole pulled his wrist from the guard’s grip and buried the knife in his enemy’s temple. His eyes seemed to flash for a second, then go out completely. Cole dropped him to the ground. Daniel watched his partner’s body rise and fall with each breath. It was the first time he had killed someone. “You okay?” Cole asked Daniel between breaths.

  “Great now. You?”

  Cole nodded, still catching his breath. “I think it would have been better if I had my knife out to begin with, or maybe just shoot the guy next time.”

  “Not a bad plan. You ready for this?” Daniel motioned to the house with the lights on. He could only imagine they were all on alert. Maybe they thought the guards were taking out some soulless, but if they were smart, they would still take it as a warning and be ready.

  “Let’s go get my fucking daughter.”

  Daniel smiled and watched Cole pull out his pistol. The two turned toward the house and ran to it. Before they could get too close, the door opened and another man stepped out. He squinted in the dark, trying to make out the two figures heading toward him. “Brody? That you? What were the gunshots about?”

  Daniel raised his rifle and shot three times. Two bullets hit him center mass. His chest exploded in a glistening red. The light from behind seemed to light it up like fireworks in the night. The third bullet went over the man’s shoulder and into the wood frame. The man screamed as the two shots hit his chest, and he went down to the cement porch.

  “Holy shit! Everyone up. Brody is down!” the voice came from inside. Daniel didn’t know the person yelling, other than he wasn’t very smart. He came running right out the front door. This time, they were closer, and Cole had his pistol raised. Four gunshots went off. Cole may not have the experience, but he sure seemed comfortable firing the weapon. Two bullets hit the man in the shoulder. The third went into his throat. The man grabbed at his neck, trying to plug the blood up that was spraying across the porch. The fourth bullet hit the man right in the cheekbone, and came out the back, exploding his head all over the wall.

  Daniel looked over at Cole. Cole wasn’t shaking anymore. Daniel didn’t think he could have picked a better person to storm the building with. He smiled with a newfound respect for the man. Before he could think anymore, two more men came out of the building. Both he and Cole lit them up. Bullets shot all over the house. Neither of the men who came out of the house had a chance. They were dead before they could get a shot off.

  Daniel and Cole stood for a moment, waiting for any more men to come out. Nobody did. Cole looked to Daniel and motioned with his head to the building. He was right. They were going to have to go in. “That’s two back there, and four here,” Cole said.

  “Four more left,” Daniel agreed.

  The pair of men wasted no time making it to the door. They both looked at each other, but before Daniel could go in, Cole took the lead. Daniel was surprised, but a slight smile crept on his mouth. Before he had any time to study the inside of the rundown farm house, he watched Cole grab the first man he saw. He shot him twice with his pistol, then sunk his knife just under his jaw. Just as he was letting the body drop, another guard came in.

  Daniel drew his weapon up on him, but Cole was faster. Before Daniel could pull the trigger, Cole was on top of him. The two grappled, and Cole wasn’t letting this one get away. Both of his arms were occupied with holding the other man’s arms down. Daniel watched Cole throw a headbutt, causing the man’s head to roll back, exposing his throat. Cole lunged his face down on the throat and bared his teeth. He bit down, hard and deep. Blood sprayed all over his face. Cole was an animal. Daniel thought he wouldn’t be shocked about anything, especially in this new world, but here he stood. Shocked at the sight of what Cole had become.

  As Cole took down the two men himself, in ways Daniel never could have imagined, one of the last two remaining men came running out of the hallway, gun pointed at Cole. It snapped Daniel from his trance, and he grabbed the man by the collar from behind. He quickly put the barrel of his gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Brain and blood exploded all over the room. Cole was still delivering blows to the deceased man on the floor. Daniel walked to him, through the mess of blood and brains and put his hand on Cole’s shoulder.

  “Cole,” Daniel said calmly, setting his rifle down. Cole whipped around, knife pulled, bloodlust in his eyes. “He’s dead. There’s just Alan now.” Cole’s bloodlust dropped from his eyes, and he no longer looked like he was ready to kill Daniel, which was a good thing. Suddenly, Cole’s eyes went wide, and he jumped up and pushed Daniel, knocking him to the floor. A gun went off, and Daniel watched it hit Cole in the chest, right where he was just standing. Cole dropped to the floor.

  “You motherfucker!” Alan screamed as he came out of the hallway. He held Eden, his hand clamping down hard, and her face was twisted in pain, but she didn’t cry or even let out a single whimper. She is tough, Daniel thought as he sprung to his feet.

  “Let her go, Alan. It’s just you and me now.”

  “Sure, I’ll do that,” Alan said, sarcasm dripping from his words. He pulled the gun away from Daniel and began to point it at Eden. Before Alan could finish pointing it, Daniel lunged at him. The gun went off, splitting the wood flood where the bullet hit. Eden fell to the ground, away from where the two men grappled. Daniel grabbed Alan’s hand and hammered it down on the floor until he dropped the gun. They both reached for it, but it went skidding away from them.

  Daniel climbed so he was hovering over Alan. He punched him, knocking Alan’s jaw to the side. He delivered another punch, then another one. Blood spattered from Alan’s nose, and Daniel felt the rush. Not the usual rush when he had someone strapped to his table. This was different. It was the feeling of rage and something else, like a strong emotion he hadn’t felt before. It felt good.

  Before he could throw another punch, Alan took advantage of the small gap in time that he wasn’t being punched and swiftly punched upward with his palm. The blow hit Daniel right in the throat, cutting his air supply for a moment. Daniel grabbed at his throat, gasping. It was like a second of suffocation, and his body responded. Alan punched Daniel in the face, knocking him aside.

  Alan climbed to his knees and crawled to Daniel. Daniel finally caught his breath, but Alan was already to him. He grabbed Daniel by the shoulder and punched him in his face. His lip cut against his teeth and filled his mouth with blood. Another punch landed, then another one. Alan hit him just under his jaw, knocking Daniel against the wall. This fight was different than the other men. Alan was like Daniel, and they both wanted it. Maybe Alan wanted it more than Daniel.

  Alan tried climbing to his feet, but Daniel grabbed at him. Both of the men were exhausted, and the fight started to show it. They sat in a slow-motion
grapple, like boxers do at the end of a long battle. Blood mixed among them and smeared their clothes.

  Daniel pulled back and threw a punch, not nearly as strong as when he first started, but it was strategically placed at his side, nailing the knife wound. With Alan’s fatigue, he fell back against the floor. Daniel spun around and grabbed at the knife that Cole had plunged into one of the guard’s throats. He pulled it out and climbed to his feet. When he turned around, he saw Alan doing the same.

  This was it. Daniel teetered on his feet, blood dripping from his face. He raised the knife and stepped toward Alan. He watched his enemy turn around, faltering in his stance just as he was. Except he held his hand out. Alan was holding the pistol.

  Daniel was too far from him for his knife to be effective. Before Daniel could have any chance to react, the gun went off, and Daniel felt the bite of the bullet in his arm. He spun around and lost his footing. Daniel landed on his ass in the middle of the floor. Alan took a step closer to him. This was the end.

  “You fucking idiot,” Alan said, his voice effected from the punches it took just moments ago. His mouth was swelling, and his jaw was probably fractured in points, but Alan managed to slur the words so that Daniel could understand. “You ruined everything. Killed my men and still going to end up dead. For what?”

  Daniel looked around and saw Eden, hiding on the floor by the couches. He had failed her, and his eyes pleaded with her. He wanted her to run, get out of there. She only sat, probably frightened, as she should be. Daniel was no savior. He could no longer look at her, instead, opting to face his fate and stare down Alan. “Just do it.”

  Daniel watched Alan steady the pistol, pointing directly at him. “Damn, you really screwed it up.” Alan shook his head. “Don’t you fucking get it? You are just like me, and you can’t deny that. Look at you now. You’re facing down death like it doesn’t fucking matter! You could have hidden from plain sight like I’m sure you did in the past. If things had gone different, the two of us, we could have ruled this world.”

  Daniel sat up taller, looking Alan dead in the eyes. “I don’t want to hide anymore, and I don’t want to rule. I just want to be a part of it.”

  Alan cocked a half-smile. “Then I’m doing you a favor. They’ll never accept you for what you are.”

  Daniel closed his eyes as Alan gripped the pistol tighter. For the first time, he felt something unfamiliar. It was fear. It was like he was afraid of facing what was on the other side of this life. Everything he was and had done, what would that mean for him? But above all else, where would that leave the people he was trying to save? Before he could answer, he heard the metal click, and the gunshot went off. It happened in slow motion, and he sat, his body tense.

  He kept sitting for what seemed like an eternity, and then he heard the loud slump in front of him. He opened his eyes slowly and saw Alan lying on the floor. There was a bullet hole in his head. He was dead.

  Daniel spun around and saw Eden holding the rifle he had dropped earlier. Her hands were steady, and there was no regret in her eyes. He stood up and staggered toward her. She dropped the gun and wrapped her arms around him. He put his arms around her and patted her back. It felt good.

  The two broke their embrace, and they quickly went to Cole, still on the ground, face down. Daniel flipped him on his back. His eyes were open, and he was still breathing. “Cole!” Daniel snapped his fingers in front of his friend’s face. Cole’s eyes snapped to his fingers. He was still there. “Cole, you son of a bitch. We did it.”

  Cole smiled and saw Eden. “My daughter. Eden, I love you so much.”

  “I know, Daddy,” Eden said, her lip quivering, but no tears came. That’s when Daniel saw the bullet wound. It was in his chest, the blood seeping through. There was no saving him.

  “You will be okay in this world. You stay safe and always know how much I cared for you.”

  Eden nodded. “I love you, too.”

  Cole turned his eyes to Daniel. “Danny, I’m sorry.”

  “No, Cole, you weren’t wrong about me.”

  “No, I wasn’t. But you were.” Cole started coughing, blood coming out of his mouth. His voice was scratchy and becoming weaker. “You were wrong about yourself. You have what it takes to be good and do what needs to be done. These people need you.” Cole grabbed Daniel’s hand, in a stronger grip than a dying man should be able to have. “You take care of her, you understand me?”

  Daniel nodded his head and inhaled deeply. The words couldn’t come out of him, but his eyes said it all. He knew the promise he was making to Cole right now, and he intended to keep it. When a man was dying in front of him, Daniel had a history of always telling the truth. It’s when he could be his most honest.

  Cole laid his head back, and his grip slipped out of Daniel’s hand. Cole let out one last breath, and his chest stopped rising. He was gone. Daniel closed his friend’s eyes and stood, using Eden’s help to steady himself. Partly from the beating he took earlier, and partly because his foundation had been shaken.

  36

  Paxton sat looking out the window as the city went by. He glanced to his left at Guthrie. The man seemed confident and knew what he was doing and where he was going. Paxton didn’t know how he could be such a way when the world was so different now, but he was glad to be with someone who was so he didn’t have to be anymore. He wasn’t so sure about the other guys he was riding with, but it had only been a matter of minutes that he had known them. Maybe they weren’t so bad.

  He turned his attention outside again. The familiar roads all passing by. They were going farther from the suburbs and deeper into the city. Every now and then, a soulless would appear to be walking down the road. The engine would roar near them, and they would snarl, their attention being drawn to the vehicle. After driving a while in silence, he saw something down the road. Something that looked familiar. He squinted as it came up and his eyes went wide.

  “Pull over!” he shouted.

  Guthrie looked over at him. Maybe it was because it was the first thing Paxton had said since getting in the car, or maybe because it was a strange request. “What’s got you so excited, partner?”

  “Guthrie, just pull over!”

  Guthrie shrugged. “Alright, but only because you asked so nicely.” Guthrie pulled over, and Paxton got out of the vehicle. The second Hummer pulled behind them, and Billy got out.

  “What’s going on? Why are we stopping?”

  “Our new friend here saw something he wanted to explore,” Guthrie shouted to him out the window. He didn’t move from his spot and let Paxton go on his own. Billy threw his hands in the air in annoyance.

  Paxton didn’t give a shit. He walked up to the familiar vehicle and looked inside. It was the Buick. Sure, it could be another tan Buick, the same make and model, but he knew this was the one. The Bible in the backseat helped seal it. The blood was dried all over the passenger seat from when Kyle drove him to his father after being attacked by that man. Daniel. He would never forget that name and stare. He shuddered thinking about it.

  Paxton turned around, looking. He remembered the note Kyle left. How his father and he had decided to leave Paxton for dead. If he had his vehicle, he could have gotten where he was going faster. He could have gotten to her. If he had gotten out of there sooner, he could have-

  It didn’t matter. What’s done was done. He saw a trail of blood on the ground. It led to an alley. He followed it, curious as to what he was going to find. He turned down and smelled the old food rotting in the dumpster. Now that the world was over, nobody was going to clean it up, and it would sit here rotting until it was no more. But at this moment, the smell was putrid. He heard the voice come from behind the large dumpster.

  “No, no, no. My boy, I’m sorry.”

  Paxton peered around the smelly metal dumpster and saw Kyle bleeding out in his father’s arms. Tears from his father dropped on the boy’s face. Kyle’s face was cold and gone. He was dead. The noise of Paxton made the man turn
around and look up.

  “Paxton!” Kyle’s father’s eyes were soaked in tears. “He’s gone. My boy is gone. We were trying to get away, and we just got overrun. We were just hungry. They killed my son. I’m so sorry, Kyle.”

  Paxton looked at the broken man in front of him. He could feel his pain inside of himself and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. Paxton was never a father but knew what losing a loved one felt like. “I’m sorry about Kyle.”

  Kyle’s father grabbed Paxton’s hand for comfort. “I’m so sorry we left you. We had to, you know? I didn’t think you were going to make it. Kyle wanted to stay, but- I’m sorry.”

  Paxton nodded, knowing he was sorry. “I know you are. Your son was good and didn’t deserve any of this. None of this was deserved.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But I could have helped you. You could have helped me. None of us deserved this world, but how people respond shows their truth. Maybe you didn’t deserve it, but you do now.” Paxton’s grip tightened on Kyle’s dad’s shoulder. “If you didn’t leave me for dead, your son could still be alive. And so could my wife.”

  Paxton wrapped his hands around the man’s throat. He quickly responded by grabbing at his hands. The man pushed back and got to his feet. Paxton flung his head against the wall, a cracking sound coming from his skull, blood covering it. The fight was still in him, though. He pushed back against Paxton, causing Paxton to smack his back against the dumpster.

  The fight wasn’t pretty. But it was necessary. Paxton reached behind him where against the dumpster, a metal rod sat. He grabbed the rod and spun the man around in his arms so he had his back against him. Paxton pulled the rod against his throat, cutting off his air. He pulled and pulled, until he was met with resistance too great to pull anymore. He got in the man’s ear and spit the words out.

  “You deserve this.”

  Paxton pushed the man’s head against the wall again, this time, the crack came from his neck. The body went limp and Paxton dropped the rod, letting the body slump against the dumpster. Paxton took a deep breath. It felt good. No remorse. None of it brought her back, but nothing would. This was just for him.