Sanctum (The After Light Saga)

by Cameo Renae

  There was no way we could see it with our naked eyes. Waves of heat rippled across the desert.

  “That’s the direction we should be heading anyway—southeast,” the navigator added.

  “Are you sure those are buildings?” Pike asked.

  “It’s not on the map, but I’ve flown over that area before,” the pilot said. “It’s an old mining town, which is supposedly abandoned.”

  Hearing this, I had a flashback. An abandoned mining town. It sounded eerie, and I didn’t really want to go through another place with buildings, knowing what the Arvies were capable of.

  “I think we should stay away from the town,” Dr. Banks said.

  He wasn’t the only one who was concerned.

  “Why would we? By the time we reach the town, it will be getting dark. We will need to find shelter,” the pilot stated.

  “The pick-up zone is a good sixty miles from here,” the navigator added. That town will be our only chance to rest and find shelter from the sun. We’ll need it in order to make it to the pick-up zone.”

  “Maybe the choppers will see us and pick us up?” Tina said.

  “We’re about fifty miles off course. The only way they could see us, is to fly directly overhead. Even if they did see us, they wouldn’t be able to pick us up. They’re each filled to capacity, and have only enough fuel to drop off the passengers and fly back to the bunker. I wasn’t able to get anyone on the radio before we crashed, so they don’t know where we are,” the pilot added.

  “How the hell did we get so off course?” Pike asked.

  “Our instruments failed,” the navigator answered.

  “So we got the crappiest chopper?” Tina huffed.

  “It is the oldest, but it’d been working just fine. I’ve been taking it out every day without any problem,” the pilot added. “Our best bet is to get moving. We need to make it into that city before nightfall.”

  “What happens at nightfall?” Tina asked.

  “Hopefully nothing, but if there is something, we don’t want to find out,” Pike answered.

  “No, we don’t,” Finn added.

  Tina gasped. “Do you think those creatures are in the city?”

  “We won’t know until we get there,” Pike answered.

  “What about radiation? Should we be wearing our suits and masks?” she questioned.

  “We’re fine,” the pilot said. “We are far enough from any nuclear plants or blasts. I’m pretty sure this area will eventually be one of the safe zones.”

  “Pretty sure?” she squeaked.

  “Don’t worry. Radiation isn’t our greatest threat right now,” I said, wrapping my arm around her neck.

  “Oh Lord,” she breathed.

  “You should have stayed with your original flight, Tina,” Pike said. “You would have been safe.”

  “Well, it’s a little too late now,” she sighed. “At least I’m here with you. I know you, and Hellfire over there, will keep me safe,” she half-smiled. I could tell she was still shaken and terrified. I didn’t blame her. She grew up in a hive, just like me, but they were two completely different environments.

  We grew up knowing there could be threats on the topside, so we were fully prepared. Only we thought our greatest threat would be other survivors, not mutants. Who knew it’d be both?

  Tina, on the other hand, was trained with knowledge. She was taught how to plant, grow, and cook. The female citizens were never trained to fight because their bunker was already set up with soldiers. And frankly, women couldn’t be put in harm’s way if they were expected to repopulate the earth.

  But I believed, in this new world, it should be mandatory for everyone to learn how to properly use a weapon. It was necessary, for safety’s sake.

  Because Tina wasn’t trained, she would have to be protected with the injured if we were attacked. I hoped and prayed we wouldn’t. Having the injured with us would lessen our chances of survival, because the soldiers carrying them wouldn’t be able to fight.

  I strapped my holster to my leg, and inserted a full clip into Hellfire, then attached the rest to my belt. Hellfire was now at my side, exactly where she should be.

  “We should move out,” the pilot said. He and the navigator led the way.

  There were three other men with Pike carrying the two wounded men. Lucky for them, they weren’t too heavy.

  “If any of you get tired, let me know,” Finn offered. They smiled and nodded.

  As we walked, the blaring sun beat down on us. I could barely breathe, and could feel my body slowly become more and more dehydrated. We stopped every so often just to rehydrate. My skin was starting to burn. For thirteen years I wanted to feel the sun on my face, but I never expected it to hurt like this. It was brutal, and hotter than Hades. All I wanted was some shade, but there was none for as far as the eye could see.

  I started to get a headache and became nauseous, and knew it was because we were getting dehydrated, but my head injury was probably playing a factor as well. I looked around and could tell everyone else was feeling the same, and yet no one complained. I assumed they were fighting their own demons, trying to stay positive.

  After hours of walking, one of the patients began moaning, then the moans turned to screams. The sun was becoming too much for him. Even though he was covered with a thin sheet, his exposed areas were becoming very red, and appeared to be blistering.

  We stopped for a few moments. Dr. Fox found some salve and rubbed it on his arms, and bandaged them up. Next, he had him swallow a few pills. We were all suffering. I could tell the soldiers carrying the injured were glad for the short rest. The sun was high, and we still had miles and miles to go before we made it into the town.

  We carried on, and the dark specks became more visible. It would be at least a few more hours of walking until we would reach the small town. At least, there were no signs of Arvies around. They would be insane to come out in this kind of heat. I just hoped we would be able to make it into the city and find shelter before the sun started to set. The fear of Arvies coming with the darkness was the only reason why my blistered, weary feet kept moving forward.

  We were going along fine until one of the soldiers carrying a patient dropped to the ground. The patient rolled off into the hot earth, and started screaming as his skin touched the hot sand.

  The soldier was limp.

  Dr. Banks and the others ran to his side, and checked his vitals, while the soldiers picked up the patient and laid him back on his stretcher.

  “He’s alive, but weak. He’s badly dehydrated. Everyone, drink as much as you can. It’s better to do it now. We can worry about finding more water once we get into the town,” Dr. Banks said.

  We all grabbed our canteens and drank. My parched body was thankful. The small amount of water seemed to bring my body back to life. I still had a throbbing headache and felt a little dizzy, but the water helped.

  The doctors made sure the patients and soldiers were well hydrated before we moved on.

  Finn had taken the weak soldiers spot, carrying the injured.

  Tina turned back to me, her face was red and tears welled in her eyes. Her body was shaking. “I don’t think I can make it.”

  “Yes, you can,” I urged, knowing if her mind gave up, her body would quickly follow. The mind could either make or break you. We needed to stay focused, and not allow our minds to be weak.

  Tina had never been pushed far enough to test her true grit. I could see it wearing on her. Fear, exhaustion, desperation, pain…it was painted in her red, swollen eyes. She was starting to fall apart, and if I didn’t do something to help her, she would crack.

  “Tina, look at me. I know you can make it. We have to get to the town. Once we do, we can rest and call for backup.”

  “Abi, I can barely stand. My body is shaking so badly, and I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

  “Then lean on me. I’ll help you.” I pulled her to my side and wrapped my arm around her back for support. “We’
ll do this together, alright? Hell, I’m not leaving your ass here, so you better pull yourself together and get moving.”

  Tina cracked a smile and nodded.

  I turned back. “Dr. Banks, is there anything to help stop Tina from shaking?”

  “She just needs more water,” he answered.

  I nodded and took her canteen from her side and unscrewed it. It was almost full. “Tina, have you been drinking water?”

  “Yes, but I needed to save some. We still have a full day tomorrow,” she said.

  “Well, you need to drink. Doctor’s orders. We can deal with the water issue later. Right now, you’re seriously dehydrated, and that’s the main reason why you’re feeling so crappy.”

  I placed the canteen up to her lips and she took a sip.

  “Drink,” I ordered. She grasped the canteen in both hands and began gulping the water.

  In a few seconds, she had emptied half of its contents. Her eyes were closed and she let out a sigh.

  “Feel better?” I asked.

  “Much,” she exhaled. “It’s almost like magic. Water really does give life to everything.”

  I smiled. “Yes, it does. We’ll take it slow, but we need to keep moving. You alright?” I asked.

  “Still shaky, but I think I can do it,” she sighed.

  “No, you can do it,” I said.

  We slowly trudged forward, following the pilot through the agonizing heat. My legs felt extremely weighted, and my feet were throbbing and stinging from new blisters. There was no way to quench the extreme thirst. I felt like a dried up mummy, and if I coughed, dust would fly from my mouth. My eyes were burning, and the pain in my head was not subsiding. This was the worst, most intense heat I’d ever had to endure.

  The sun slowly descended behind us, bringing our shadows to life. I focused on mine, using it as a guide. It was keeping perfect time, not too fast and not too slow, leading me to safety. With every step, the shadow covered more ground, and before I knew it, we were within a few miles of the town.

  It was sitting in the middle of nowhere. There were no other buildings around, as far as the eye could see; just some small hills and a few mountains in the far distance. It was secluded, and looked as if there were no more than fifty buildings.

  “What town is this?” Tina asked.

  “I’m not sure. It’s not on the map, but we are somewhere in southeast Montana,” the navigator answered.

  As we drew closer a feeling of hope and accomplishment surged through our company. Everyone seemed to have a renewed bounce in their step and almost rushed forward. We’d made it. At least we had a place where we could finally rest and take shelter for the night.

  “I told you we’d make it,” I said, nudging Tina. My words were slurring, because my tongue was so swollen from the heat.

  She gave a faint nod and a half grin. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  I glanced back at Finn. He’d wrapped his outer shirt around his head. His arms were bright red and burned, but through his pain, he smiled and winked at me. My heart fluttered. It was comforting to have him here with me. Yet another obstacle we’d endured together. I knew once we came out of it, we’d be even stronger.

  As we neared the town, one of the patients started screaming. His medication must have been wearing off.

  “Shut him up,” the pilot said, grabbing for his weapon. I glanced down to Hellfire. She was still holstered in my side, and I knew if I needed her, I could pull her in a second.

  “Put him down,” Dr. Banks ordered. The soldiers placed him on the ground, while Dr. Fox rushed to find the medication. Meanwhile the patient continued to scream obscenities and vile words. Spit flew from his mouth. His eyes were glazed over, and bright red.

  Everyone started to get nervous. One of the soldiers quickly placed his hand over the guy’s mouth, in an attempt to try and quiet him.

  “Ahhhh,” he yelled, pulling his hand away. Blood was flowing from a deep bite wound. “He bit me! Shit, that hurts,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Dr. Lee checked his wound. He motioned for him to sit down, while he rummaged through one of the bags. Each bag was labeled on the outside, so they would know which medicines were inside. He poured what looked like iodine over the wound to clean it, then took out a small packet and sprinkled something over it. Almost instantly, the blood stopped flowing, and he bandaged him up.

  “Thanks, doc,” the soldier said.

  Dr. Lee nodded. He was doing extremely well for an elderly man.

  The patient was still screaming, threatening to push everyone over the edge. Dr. Banks was trying to calm him while Dr. Fox desperately searched for his medicine.

  This was becoming a nightmare. We were paused, out in the open, with the sun quickly setting. The patient was like a blaring alarm. If there was anything within the town, they would know we were coming.

  “You need to shut him up now, or I’ll do it,” the pilot demanded. He was quickly becoming agitated and restless.

  “We’re working on it,” Dr. Fox said. He finally had his medication, but his hands were shaking so badly, he couldn’t get the needle into the small bottle.

  Dr. Banks finally took the syringe, extracted the medicine, and quickly stuck it in the patient’s arm. He then covered his mouth with his shirt and pressed until he quieted. I was so glad he was here with us. My father would have been proud.

  “Good job, Dr. Banks,” Finn said.

  Dr. Banks nodded, and then quickly checked the next patient. He seemed to be fine at the moment.

  “We need to get moving and find shelter before the sun sets,” the pilot urged. His eyes were wide with fear.

  “We’re ready back here,” Dr. Banks said.

  The soldiers lifted the injured patients, and we headed into the small town.

  It was strange. So quiet and eerie. There were so signs of life, but we still had to be on guard. Most of the buildings had large windows which had been broken, making the insides unsafe and easily accessible. The streets were littered with shards of glass, and a few of the buildings were charred.

  This was proof there was life here at one point or another. Hopefully, whatever was here had moved on.

  The shade provided from the buildings immediately helped, and it felt like the temperature dropped about ten degrees. Tina even let go of me, which was a good sign.

  “Thank you, Abi. No one I know would have done what you did for me. I’m glad you’re here,” she said softly.

  “Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” I answered.

  She smiled and nodded.

  As we made our way through the town my stomach began to twist, sensing a lingering air of doom. The hair on my skin stood on end, and the air began to feel thick. My head was throbbing, first in my left eye, then it radiated everywhere between my temples. It hurt so badly I wanted to scream.

  “Abi, your nose,” Tina said, rushing to my side.

  I touched my fingers to my nose, and when I pulled back, they were covered in blood.

  “What the? It must be the heat. My body isn’t used to these extremes,” I said.

  “Abi, are you alright?” Dr. Banks asked.

  “Nosebleed,” I answered.

  “Put pressure on it. I’ll check it once we find a place to rest,” he said. I nodded, and pressed my nose.

  Meanwhile, I had a sinking feeling something was going to happen. I just hoped my instincts were wrong. Nevertheless, Hellfire was ready. I was wondering if I should make sure everyone was prepared for anything. I thought of my father, and knew if he were put in a position and felt threatened, he’d make sure everyone was prepared, regardless if anything happened or not.

  “Everyone please be on guard,” I said.

  “Why, do you see something?” the pilot asked.

  “No, but we should be prepared for anything,” I said.

  A hot wind whipped and whistled through the dilapidated buildings, picking up dust and spinning it like a mini twister in front of us.
r />   One of the younger soldiers suddenly yelled, “Holy crap. Is that what I think it is?”

  He placed his end of the stretcher on the ground, and took off running towards one of the buildings off to the right side of us.

  “Get back here,” his partner yelled.

  “Hot damn! It’s grass. Actual grass, growing right here on the ground. This place can sustain life,” he was smiling from ear to ear. He bent down and brushed his fingers over it.

  I had to blink a few times, just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. But he was right. A small patch of green, about a foot wide, was sitting under an old rusted water pipe. There was life in the middle of the destruction.

  “Why is it only in that area?” Pike asked.

  I looked at Dr. Banks, and he had a smile. “I’m not sure. But it looks like it was sitting under that pipe? Maybe this town was far enough from the radiation zones and wasn’t directly affected. We’ll have to mark this area and let the leaders know. This looks like a great area to rebuild a community.”

  Then, the one thing I had feared the most, happened. A familiar, hair-raising scream pierced the air. As heated as I was, the sound sent a cold shiver down my spine.

  Chapter 5

  “Arvies,” I screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

  Tina turned to me with wide, horrified eyes.

  “Stay right behind me, Tina. Don’t run. Everyone needs to stay together. If we separate, they will pick us off.”

  The soldier near the grass stood, and something grabbed him, dragging him behind the building. All we could hear were his screams of pain.

  Finn took off running in his direction.

  “No! Finn, don’t,” I screamed. I knew it wasn’t going to help. Once he set his mind to something, he wasn’t turning back.

  “Tina stay here. Pike, stay with her. I’ll be back,” I said, taking off after Finn. Another soldier started running after me. I couldn’t run fast enough to catch Finn.

  We ran around the building, just quick enough to see him disappear behind another building to the left. I followed him, Hellfire gripped tightly in my hand. My heart hammered so hard it hurt. With every step, a shooting pain throbbed in my head. It was almost unbearable, but I wasn’t going to let Finn be alone.