Sanctum (The After Light Saga)

by Cameo Renae

  Fifteen miles wasn’t too long if you were in top shape and moving at a good pace. But we were transporting injured, who needed to be carried. We would be moving at a much slower pace. I knew our trek would feel like an eternity, especially under the blaring sun.

  Our chopper ascended higher and higher above Gates of the Mountains, Montana. It was the most beautiful sight. The water below us was so blue and sparkled like crystals. As we rose higher, I could see the bunker below. Then I gasped, as I noticed movement outside of the gates. In the shadows and cracks of the mountains were thousands of pale bodies swarming like ants, trying to find a way in.

  “Pike, what is that? Are those…” Tina’s voice was shaking.

  “Arvies,” he answered.

  “Oh my God,” I gasped. “There are so many of them.”

  Finn pulled me back. “Don’t look. We’re leaving them behind.”

  “But there are probably millions more out there. They could be at our drop off. How will we know?” I whispered, trying not to talk too loud.

  The sight of them shot us with a dose of reality, rubbing our faces in how outnumbered we really were. It seemed hopeless. They had taken over the ground, and had become the overwhelming majority.

  “No, we don’t know what’s out there, but right now, we’re safe. They can’t touch us up here. And we have two hours to fly above the danger. Just focus on now, and we’ll deal with whatever comes when we get there,” Finn whispered, again helping me overcome my fears.

  “So what do you think will happen when we get to the next bunker?” I whispered.

  “Even though our future is uncertain, we still have hope. It’s the only thing, besides you, that I have to hold on to. It’s a dream, waiting to be fulfilled. Right now, this moment is all about you and me. Abi, we’re flying, heading somewhere we’ve never been. Good or bad, we’ll be together.”

  “I love you,” I breathed. He was always there for me, my strength, my shoulder, my rock. He’d always been a thinker and a dreamer, and that’s what I loved most about him. He believed there was a reason for everything.

  I was a realist. If I saw it with my own eyes, I’d most likely believe it. But I did believe very deeply in one thing I could not visibly see. I knew deep down, Finn and I had found each other, because someone or something knew I would need him.

  As if on cue, he grinned, and it made my heart flutter.

  “Hey. Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”

  “I know you do,” I answered, and believed it with my whole heart.

  Pike and Tina were sitting in front of us, grinning and whispering. I was glad they had the chance to be with each other on this new journey, and finally get to spend some time together without the watchful eyes of leadership. They deserved this time, even if for a brief moment.

  I rested my head on Finn’s chest and began to imagine what kind of future we could have together. Would we ever find a way to rid the earth of the Arvies, or would we find some kind of cure?

  Even if they did find a cure, I couldn’t see how the Arvies could ever be normal again. I didn’t see how a vaccine could rewind thirteen years of mutation. Yes, they’d shown signs of intelligence, but they also had evolved into immoral cannibals. I doubted a shot of a serum could cure that.

  I exhaled, the constant nightmare of these monsters was overwhelming. They weren’t just some made-up fairy tale monsters. They were very real, and very deadly.

  “You better not be thinking about those Arvies,” Finn whispered, nudging my shoulder.

  I gawked at him. “How did you know?”

  “The Arvies aren’t the only ones with telepathy.” His gaze narrowed on me.

  “What?” There was no way.

  Finn started laughing. “Abi, you’ve been my best friend for the past thirteen years. I can read almost every thought written on your beautiful face. I probably know what you’ll ask me, even before the thought ever enters your mind.”

  I shook my head. “Now that, I do believe.” He was right. He could read me perfectly, and knew things about me I never really knew myself. He could finish my sentences, or say the exact same thing I would, at the exact same time. He was meant for me. He was my soul mate.

  “Well, you were right. I was thinking about the Arvies. How can I not? They’ve taken over the planet, and are making it nearly impossible to start a new life.”

  “I’m sure the governments are in communication and are probably planning some sort of massive global attack. We are survivors. We’ve lived underground for thirteen years. I doubt we’ll go down, or give up our planet, without a fight.”

  I nodded. “You’re right. We are survivors…but so are they. The Arvies survived the worst part of the apocalypse.”

  Finn nodded, but added, “Don’t get me wrong, Abi. I do pity them. We all should pity them. But they should have never been given that damn vaccine in the first place. Especially not without the proper testing. Whatever happened to them, killed their humanity. They are dangerous, and will not hesitate—even for a second—to take your life. In order for us to have any kind of a future, or a future for our children…the Arvies must be destroyed. It is them, or us.”

  A future for our children. It was odd hearing him say those words, but it warmed my heart. I didn’t actually notice until Finn stopped talking, that every eye in the chopper had turned to us. They were silently, nodding in agreement with what he said.

  Finn was a born leader. He was strong, not only physically, but mentally. He was magnetic, and even the elders looked up to him. He was right. The Arvies despised us, and wouldn’t bat a wicked, milky eye while killing any one of us. I needed to get my head straight. I’d seen and witnessed firsthand what they could do. They were smart, they were fast, and they killed Dr. Lisa.

  I glanced back to Dr. Banks and his eyes met mine. He smiled and nodded, like he knew what I was thinking. We would need to rid our planet of the overpowering threat, if we were to have a future.

  I was ready, I hoped.

  “Abi,” Dr. Banks called.

  “Yes?” I asked, turning back to him. He was seated behind the patients on the gurneys.

  “See that black duffle I placed right behind Finn?” he pointed. I leaned back and nodded when I noticed it. “There’s something in there for both of you.”

  Finn and I looked at each other, wondering what it could be.

  Finn reached back, pulled the duffle up, and placed it between us. He then unzipped it, and let me peek inside first. I reached in and pulled out Finn’s shotgun.

  “No way,” he exclaimed. “Dr. B, how did you get this?”

  “Oh, I had a visit from Frank. He dropped it off while you two went back to your rooms to get ready.”

  My heart sputtered with excitement as I reached in and felt a familiar cold metal.

  Hellfire. She was here. I pulled her out and hugged her to my chest, feeling a wave of optimism. With her and Finn by my side, I now felt complete.

  There were no words, except, “Thank you, Dr. Banks.”

  “Yeah, thanks Dr. B,” Finn echoed.

  “Hey, won’t we have to give them up once we reach the new facility?” Finn asked.

  “Crap. I know they won’t let civilians carry around weapons. I lucked out that my Uncle Frank found her in the weapons room. I doubt he’ll be given the same authority at the new bunker. I might have to hide her somewhere on the outside, so if we do come back out, I’ll be able to retrieve her.”

  “That’s a good idea. We should find a place to hide them together. That way we will have fun, coming and searching for them. Like our very own treasure hunt.”

  “You’re so funny,” I giggled.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because you see pleasure in the simplest things.”

  “Well Abigail Park, it’s the simple things which happen to bring me the most pleasure.”

  “Like?” I gazed deep into his chocolate eyes.

  His lips brushed against my ear, sending tingles casc
ading down my insides. Then, he whispered ever so softly, “Like the smell of your hair, holding your hand, the feel of your head against my chest, the warmth of your body next to me, and the thought of your lips pressed tightly against mine.”

  His words sent a pleasurable buzz through my body.

  “You’re such a romantic,” I blushed.

  “Only on Tuesday’s,” he smiled.

  “So what are you the rest of the week?” I asked.

  “A badass. What else?”

  “Obviously, not humble.”

  “Nope. Humility is saved for Sunday’s,” he snarked.

  I laughed. He had a way of making me smile, even amidst the darkest conditions.

  “Finn, what will happen if we’re separated when we get there? What if they won’t allow us to be together?” I couldn’t help but think about our future.

  He sighed, then grabbed my hand and gently kissed the back of it. “Our love will find a way. If we ever get separated, I promise to always find a way back to you.”

  I nodded and wrapped my arms around him.

  “So,” he interrupted. “About our weapons. We’ll have to ditch them somewhere before the pick-up zone.”

  “Yes, but it will need to be a place we can easily find again. And, how will we ever find the pick-up zone? It’s roughly another two hundred miles of traveling to get to the Black Hills.”

  “Abi, you can give Hellfire to me,” Pike suggested. “We can switch before we get picked up. They’ll confiscate your weapon because you’re a civilian, but I’m a soldier, so they should let me keep mine. It won’t hurt to try. At least you’ll have some kind of chance. If you leave her out here, you’ll probably never see her again.”

  “Am I the only one who thinks it’s totally weird you guys are talking about that gun like it’s a chick?” Tina asked.

  “Shhhhh. You’ll hurt her feelings,” I said, embracing Hellfire.

  “Oh, God. You’ve all totally lost it,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m going to rest up for the death walk.” She disappeared, lying her head on Pike’s lap.

  “Hey Pike, what if they find out?” I asked.

  “They won’t find out. Our weapons aren’t registered. Soldiers were pretty much handed weapons at the beginning, and asked to take care of them until they break or need parts replaced.”

  “There you go,” Finn said. “Once she’s in, she’s safe.”

  “I appreciate it, Pike. Thank you,” I said.

  “No problem,” he nodded.

  “See? Hellfire’s practically family,” Finn chuckled.

  “Well, I’ve seen her shoot that gun. It’s totally worth the risk,” Pike added.

  “Dude, you have no idea. Those Arvies don’t stand a chance, as long as we can provide her with enough ammo,” Finn turned to me and gave me a wink. I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

  He pressed his lips to the top of my head, sending tingles up and down my body. One of my greatest wishes would be to freeze moments like these, and not worry about anything going on around us.

  I dreamed of a future with Finn, especially within the past few months. When I closed my eyes, I could catch a glimpse of us lying on a bed of soft grass, wild flowers blooming around us. Their colors were vibrant, like those in the Garden of Eden. We would be free. Free from worry. Free from war or rule. Free to love and be loved.

  When I closed my eyes, I felt the warmth of the sun on my face, and the cool breezes blowing around us. I envisioned myself nestled in Finn’s arms, holding him, without a care in the world.

  If the Arvies were ever exterminated, I would want a very simple life. Nothing complicated. We’d need a small home, where we could rest our heads. I had been confined to an underground bunker nearly my whole life. I wanted to spend the rest of it outside. And, I wanted a garden, much like the Garden of Eden. That trip to the garden had been an incredible gift, and it left a major impact on my expectations. It filled me with hope for our future, knowing we could have a beautiful paradise in the midst of a post-apocalyptic world. I knew it was possible because I had experienced it firsthand.

  It would be a lot of hard work, sure. We were starting over from scratch, and there were still large areas of the earth which remained uninhabitable. But there were places we could build and start over.

  Until such a time, all I could think about was surviving…and hope. We had nothing without our hope.

  Chapter 4

  I placed Hellfire back in the duffle and snuggled up next to Finn. Being close to him gave me an inner strength which had grown with our relationship.

  I could hear the doctors behind us giving the patients their medications, knowing it would be a while before they could get their next doses. I tried to settle my nerves, at least for the remainder of the flight.

  We were about thirty minutes from our landing zone when Tina turned back to me with a smile on her face. I smiled back, happy to know she was happy. Besides Finn, she was one of my very first friends. It was something I treasured.

  BOOM!

  The chopper shook violently and started to lose altitude.

  In an instant, chaos broke out.

  Tina was screaming. Pike wrapped her in his arms, telling her it was going to be okay.

  The navigator was on the radio, trying to get help.

  “Everyone strap in,” the pilot exclaimed. Finn quickly made sure I was strapped in tight before he checked the back. Dr. Banks was securing his patient, so Finn went back to help.

  I looked out the window and saw black smoke swirling behind us.

  Fear gripped me as I realized we were going to crash.

  The pilot was fighting to keep the chopper in the air. He and the navigator were yelling back and forth. Apparently we had strayed from our course.

  We were still miles and miles from our drop-off zone.

  “Finn,” I called. I tried to unbuckle, but it was stuck.

  “Stay there, Abi. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  My heart and pulse raced, but I was proud as I watched him tighten the strap on the last patient. Then he checked to make sure Dr. Banks was secure before making his way back to me.

  “We’re going down! Everyone prepare for a rough landing,” the pilot exclaimed.

  The chopper started to spiral, and the outside world was becoming a blur.

  Tina continued to scream, and I didn’t blame her.

  Finn quickly strapped in next to me, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down. I reached for the duffle, knowing we would need it if we survived. It also sounded like we were way off course, so we didn’t know what we would be running into. I wasn’t about to take any chances.

  The pilot desperately continued to radio for help, but wasn’t getting any response. The navigator became frantic, which made matters worse.

  I had closed my eyes, listening to the chaos around me. Tina was sobbing. One of the patients was repeatedly yelling, “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.”

  The doctors remained positive, and tried to assure him we were going to be alright.

  “We’ll be alright, Abi,” Finn whispered into my ear.

  I was frozen in his arms, holding them tightly against me.

  No matter what, we had to be alright. We had to survive, and make it to the pick-up zone. We had to get to the other bunker to be with our parents. They needed us, just as much as we needed them.

  Hopefully they would find out we were missing and send a rescue chopper, or someone to look for us. They had to.

  But first, we had to survive. I said a quick prayer.

  Our lives and futures were literally spinning out of control, and there was nothing any of us could do about it. All we could do was hold on, and hope for the best.

  There was more screaming as the chopper spun faster. We were dropping quickly, but the pilot held on. The injured men were screaming, putting everyone on edge. I tried to cover my ears.

  Chaos and horror filled every one of us. I had to prepare myself. My breath, my heart, m
y pulse, became too quick. I started to hyperventilate. Finn squeezed me tighter, trying to be strong for both of us.

  “I love you, Abi,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too,” I cried.

  “Everyone, hold on,” the pilot yelled.

  I hugged tighter to Finn and we leaned forward, placing our heads between our legs.

  The chopper suddenly hit the ground with a crash.

  We all jerked forward. My head and neck hit the seat in front of us. A small jolt of pain shot through my spine, but it wasn’t too bad. I quickly sat up and wiggled my fingers, toes, arms, legs. They all worked and we were all still alive. Thank God.

  But it wasn’t over. The chopper shook violently like it was going to fall apart, and as it started tilting to its left side, and then…there were the most horrifying crushing, breaking, and cracking noises. We all stayed down, as the blades hit the ground and flew off.

  Besides being horribly shaken, everyone was still alive. The pilot did an amazing job of trying to keep the chopper upright. It was a very rough landing, but he saved us.

  “We need to get out of here, now! There are hundreds of gallons of gas in this bird.”

  His words sent everyone into panic mode. All of us scrambled to unbuckle and rush for the door. It was jammed shut, but Finn somehow managed to kick it open.

  Finn and Pike helped to get the injured out.

  I took our bags and the duffle, grabbed Tina by the arm, and dragged her out with me.

  We ran a few hundred yards away and took shelter behind a large boulder, in case it did explode.

  When the rest of the group arrived, we did a quick assessment. Everyone was shaken, but fine.

  We were lost, stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no way to call for help. The heat of the noon-day sun was beating down on us, and there was no place to find relief. The desert surrounded us, for as far as the eye could see.

  The navigator took out his maps and compass, and laid them on the rock, while the pilot looked through a small pair of binoculars.

  “Hey, it looks like there are some buildings in the distance,” the pilot noted, pointing to their direction.