Resurrection

by Michael Clements

  “No!” shouted Mercy when Theia ran off, seizing her fiercely. “We’re waiting right here.” Theia struggled, but Mercy was stronger. Mercy even grabbed her hair, completely immobilizing her. When Theia was pulled back into Mercy’s arms, the woman enveloped around Theia’s body to shield her again.

  The battle resumed, now seeming to be spread throughout the property. It didn’t stop for nearly twenty minutes. Fortunately, no bullets nor grenades came their way after the first time, and no one sought them out.

  When it concluded, they patiently waited for a short while. After some time of peaceful silence, Theia said to Mercy, “It’s over.”

  “No. We don’t leave until we know it’s safe.” Mercy still hadn’t relinquished Theia’s hair.

  “How are we going to –”

  “We’re clear!” someone called out.

  Theia couldn’t identify the voice, but recognized it as one of their own. “See?” she said, smacking Mercy’s hand. Mercy finally let go, and Theia ran for help.

  –––––––

  “Good thing we got to her when we did, or this could have been a lot more serious,” the doctor told Theia.

  “Did it hit anything… uh, vital?” she asked.

  “Fortunately, no. The one that struck her chest nearly hit her collar bone, and if it were half-an-inch deeper, it would have struck her lung. If another were any further to the left, it would have struck her spine and possibly killed her.”

  “What happened to the attackers?” she asked the doctor.

  “Don’t worry about that, child.”

  “Tell me!”

  He sighed. “They’ve been driven off the premises. We’re safe now.”

  “Did they steal anything? …Anyone?”

  The doctor exchanged looks with his assistant. “Yes, they stole a great deal, but only prepared crops and meat. Now, please child, no more.”

  Theia resigned.

  More people suffered wounds than Mercy. Four others were in the house undergoing treatment. Only one doctor was available for all of them. Theia felt guilty that she wasn’t qualified to help. He seemed fine, though; no supplies deficiency nor an overwhelming work load. Nobody was dying. But as she remained there beside Mercy, she struggled believing the doctor truly said she was going to live. She must have dreamt it, or hallucinated, but he certainly didn’t say it. Nobody ever survives, she thought. Maybe other people, but nobody I know.

  Once again, Spencer came to mind. Then, Matt, a friend for whom she wasn’t present during his final moments of life. Both their deaths had to be accidents. Who would shoot a kid? She had been with Spencer that day; that moment… From what she witnessed, those fatal gunshots weren’t aimed at him. Accident or not, he died. Whatever happened to Matt, he didn’t survive either. Then, Theia remembered the man who made her want to leave Portland… The nameless man. The drunk.

  He wanted to die…

  An inconceivable thought, even after living through her own recent experiences. While the others in the house continued their business, Theia sat pondering, attempting to make sense of what seemed to be the most confounding, contradictory, nonsensical matter she ever encountered. Living is the most important thing, she told herself. Once you’re dead, it’s all over. No going back. Why would someone do that to themselves on purpose? Why would he want to die so soon? Everybody already dies eventually… His girlfriend was right there. She loved him. She was trying to talk to him…

  Heavy matters only made worse by heavy thoughts. Theia wanted to retreat from Portland to deal with what she saw that man do, and like every other memory she wished to bury, it found its way to her conscious mind. Her chest burned, and ruthlessly felt it was about to implode. Her eyes forced tears out, but she dried them and straightened her back, focused firmly on taming her emotions.

  Don’t let them take control, don’t let them take control…

  Unfortunately, after one last glance at Mercy’s blood-soaked bandages, Theia broke. Enough was enough.

  She fled the room, bumping into a few people on the way out. Downstairs, where there were equally as many hurrying bodies going about their own business, she found Mercy’s coat and took the car keys from it. Then she walked outside toward the parking spaces in the grass. Once she recognized the car Mercy drove there in, she unlocked and got inside it.

  There, she waited until nightfall. People began looking for her after a while, but she remained. They’ll only stop me from going if they see me…

  –––––––

  Judging by the lack of daylight and ceased calls for her, Theia knew it was time. Quietly, she exited the car, and gently closed the door. The patrols were easy to avoid. Their numbers were limited, their formation widely spread, and only meant for lookout of large hostile parties. She ran to the farthest perimeter, stopping at the gate. It was a couple feet taller than she was, but she climbed over it with relative ease.

  Figuring out where to go next, she had to cross the empty road to find a sign. Apart from the farm, there was nothing to see. She figured the people who attacked the farm wouldn’t have gotten away with what they stole if they ran back into the forest. They would have needed a truck and taken the road. North or south – they could have headed in either direction. She turned around, and chose to walk that way.

  “Theia!”

  The voice was Mercy’s… What’s she doing up?

  “Theia, get back home right now!” She was limping, half her body hunched over.

  “What are you doing?” cried Theia, running toward her. “You should be sleeping!” Once she reached her, she saw a soldier accompanied her.

  “Fuck what I’m doing, YOU need to get back.”

  Theia didn’t argue. Mercy’s tone was incentive enough. She brought Theia back to the house, firmly, painfully clenching Theia’s arm. Her limp nearly caused them to lose balance. Getting back inside, every face turned toward Theia. Hugely embarrassed, she avoided eye contact with anyone. Mercy brought them to the unoccupied laundry room and slammed the door shut.

  “What the hell were you doing out there?”

  Theia couldn’t raise her head. “Please don’t yell at me.”

  “I have to, Theia. I told you to stop wandering off and you keep doing it. What’s it going to take to get you to stop?”

  She didn’t know what to answer. She tried to say something, but words wouldn’t come out. After a moment of trying to speak, she began to cry. Against her greater willpower, all her sadness was pouring out at once.

  Mercy held her, squeezing tight. “Honey, I’m sorry… You know it scares me to death when you run off, don’t you?” Theia did not reciprocate the embrace. She couldn’t.

  Theia let it all out, standing there too broken to move. Mercy stood up a little to give Theia her shoulder. Theia buried her face into it deep, and allowed herself to scream. She was likely heard outside the room.

  Several minutes later, she attempted to talk. “I just … sniff … I want things to … to be right. I want people to stop… sniff… fighting and killing each other and…” Mercy kissed Theia’s forehead, rubbing her back. “Why can’t things be … be sniff… better? Why is everything like this?”

  Mercy swayed her back and forth very gently. “Shhhh. It’s okay. It’s okay, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t want… to… be here anymore. I don’t want to be anywhere.”

  Mercy gave Theia another kiss, holding her close. Theia was calming, slowly regaining her composure. “We’ll leave tomorrow, okay?” said Mercy. “We’ll go back home, where it’s safer.”

  LILITH

  It was a shame to dispose of so much fruit. A rare commodity those days, and Lilith’s favorite food group, but the tote’s contents needed to be disposed. Lilith opened the dumpster lid while Ethan poured the large container’s contents. Quickly, before the driver returned, they climbed up the stacks and piles in the truck, loading themselves into the empty containers they had placed at the top. Two minutes later, Lilith heard the d
river return. He questioned aloud why the back of his truck was open, but dismissed the matter and closed it. Once the engine started, Lilith climbed out of her box.

  “You could have forced Kershaw to see you,” said Ethan, shoving his box after climbing out as well.

  “Kershaw’s not easy to intimidate, from what I’ve heard. Besides, smuggling is much more fun. And snuggling,” she humorously added, mostly just to rhyme. She looked at her brother, who was searching for a comfortable position to sit. “We used to be crammed together in odd places all the time, remember?” The attempt at light-heartedness had no effect.

  Ethan sighed. “We’re not strangers to uncomfortable situations. I hope, though, that you don’t always make decisions based on how fun it’ll be.”

  Lilith looked at her brother intently. “Kershaw will expect a direct, aggressive approach, not an unorthodox one. Plus, she’s refused to meet with me. The only remaining option is to sneak in. I can’t have a team with me, so I brought the best.” She smiled. Ethan had no reaction to the compliment. She explained herself a little further. “Since she wouldn’t crack no matter how much she’s threatened, I’ll pressure her until she gives in, if that’s what it takes. Hopefully, she won’t need any more persuasion after today.” Ethan nodded.

  “So, intimidation…”

  “No threats. Merely arguments. Offers.”

  “Who is Kershaw, exactly?”

  “You don’t speak much with the informants these days, do you?” Ethan shrugged. “She’s a political figure. Civilian, not military.”

  “Doesn’t sound like just a political figure if you, of all people, are interested in her.”

  Lilith smiled. “Maybe not.” She carefully stepped over the cargo despite the truck’s sharp turns and many bumps, only to sit beside Ethan. Sitting with their legs touching, she said, “Rosalind Kershaw… Let’s see, she has about a quarter of civilized Portland on her side. Tens of thousands. She’s treating her position like she’s running for mayor. I don’t think she realizes what she could do with numbers like that.”

  “What do you want with numbers like that?”

  Lilith pondered the level of honesty she had to be with Ethan. She trusted her brother, but hardly trusted his temperament. A debate was the last thing she needed, if he were to disagree with her intentions. “Nothing,” she replied. “Nothing except to make sure they stay out our way. I want her ‘army’ off my back. If she knows I’m not her enemy, I’m sure she’ll agree. I like the woman. I’d hate to be opposite her on the political scale.”

  Looking elsewhere, as if there was more to see in that cargo hold, Ethan asked, “What do you like about her?”

  “Kershaw … believes in order, like the rest of us. She wants to see peace return to the city for good, she wants war criminals brought to justice, but most of all … she’s not weak. That’s her most admirable quality. None of the other families can talk to her; not even the troops. She stands on principle alone. She’ll be a good leader when things return to normal.”

  “So, why not support her cause? Keep her enemies off her back.”

  “Think I haven’t done that, Ethan? Unfortunately, she’s taking too long to accomplish anything.”

  She could sense Ethan turned his head, despite the complete darkness. “Is that what you’re up to? Restoring the peace?”

  Lilith was silent. “One could say that.”

  The truck slowed, then halted. The twins returned to their totes, pulling the lids over them. Several people approached the vehicle, Lilith heard. They were preparing to open the back and unload the cargo. Michael, I better not reach thirty, she thought. Then, she started counting: One, two, three, four… On the count of nine, she heard a nearby car explode, breathing a sigh of relief. Good boy.

  She lifted the hatch. As expected, the guards in front of Kershaw’s house fled to investigate the explosion, which was only intended as a signal. From there, she saw twenty of her men approaching the house from down the street, as planned.

  Only one man had remained by the vehicle. Ethan leapt out and choked him, while pressing the man’s head between his jaw and arm to keep him from opening his mouth. Meanwhile, Lilith plugged his nose. The man passed out in complete silence. Then, the two moved along the side of the house. Locating what appeared to the bathroom, Ethan hoisted Lilith to the window. After she climbed in, Ethan jumped and Lilith used the momentum to lift him up to the frame. Once they were both inside, Lilith gently creaked the door open and scanned the hallway. From that vantage point, she counted two bodyguards. Likely the only two in the house, she figured.

  “Ms. Kershaw,” hollered Lilith from the bathroom. She heard guns cocking.

  “Who the hell is that?” Kershaw asked her men.

  “Excuse the intrusion. I’m Lilith Krohn. Ever heard of me?”

  All Lilith heard in response was one of the guards saying, “We’ll take care of this.”

  “Sorry, boys,” she serenely called to them. “Kershaw, if you let your boys kill me, I can’t promise your family members, young and old, will live to see the end of the month. I’d recommend against it. I just want to talk.”

  From the opposite end of the house, the woman asked, “I have no business with the mob.”

  “I’m not here on business,” said Lilith. “I just need a simple favor. Plus, I’d thought we ought to get to know each other.”

  After a long minute of tenuous silence, Kershaw said, “Fine, come out.”

  They stood, somewhat reluctantly. Ethan kept a hand on his pistol and took lead as they walked around the corner.

  “You’re the boss, aren’t you? So, where are your cronies?”

  “Ha. ‘Cronies.’ Never heard that joke before…”

  “Wasn’t meant as a joke,” replied Kershaw.

  “Well, there’s my personal guard, and there’s my enforcers. To which does your question refer?” Kershaw shrugged. “Well, the answer is: right outside. Not just my men, either. Loyal associates, too. A lot of people, ready to lay waste to this place if you kill me. If you saw me coming with an army behind me, you would have fought back, of course. I requested to see you, but you declined. Obviously, you don’t deal with criminals, so I found my own way in.”

  “You’re damn right, I don’t negotiate with criminals. What makes you think I will now?”

  “I’m not here for a deal,” said Lilith. “Merely an offer a friendship, and to ask that you not do something.”

  As Kershaw shot a peering glare at Lilith, Ethan was fixated on the two guards listening in from the dining room. Outside, none of those who left to investigate the car bomb had returned. Lilith figured they were preoccupied having a standoff with the rest of her men.

  Lilith began again. “You don’t side with the troops, you don’t side with the mob… The people are who you side with. A former two-time candidate for the Portland mayor’s office with a hell of a list of principles; that’s why people follow you. Builders, programmers, electricians, store clerks … waste managers… Everyone has a part in our city’s, our country’s, infrastructure, but who have no idea how to run it. Most of the people who follow you don’t have any knowledge or experience on the subject of war and politics. They do have the numbers, though. Which means, you have the numbers.”

  “Get to the point,” said Kershaw.

  “Approximately a quarter of this city is behind you. Even some gangs have come to your side, offering you protection. I imagine those two burly bodyguards you have over there never met you until the Collapse. All I want, all I’m asking for, is that you keep them out of my way.”

  Kershaw looked offended. “I don’t give orders. I’m a leader, not a boss.”

  Lilith winced, rather sarcastically. “You have influence,” she stated plainly, like quoting a statistic. “Time for you to use that influence. I need you to move your people away from the slums. That’s it. Simple and easy.”

  “Half my people live in the slums.”

  Ethan stepped in, much to Li
lith’s surprise. She saw concern in his eyes as he said, “Bloodshed is imminent. A tremendous amount of it. After my colleague’s stunt at Paul Ritter’s execution, the troops are cracking down on everyone they opposes them. It’s the next phase of the war, and it’s begun. My sister wants to save as many civilian lives as she can.”

  Kershaw scowled. “If you want to save lives, don’t fight.”

  “I believe in your cause, Rosie. I really do,” said Lilith. “The problem is, one of my colleagues, probably more, have started this fight all over again. I think I know who it is. I plan on doing my part to end this war. I’m not asking you to fight, I’m asking you to get your people off the battlefield. I want you to be the leader who rises up after the ashes have cooled.”

  Kershaw stood. “I don’t make deals with killers. Get out of my house!”

  Lilith slowly stood as well, then Ethan. “Pacifism never stopped the bloodthirsty before, and that fact isn’t going to change now. People are going to die whether you like it or not. I suggest you let someone else do your dirty work for you.” In her peripheral, she saw Kershaw’s guards preparing to pull their guns. “I’m on your side.”

  After a long silence, the old woman growled, “Get out.”

  Lilith smiled, bowed, then proceeded to leave. Opening the front door, she saw the standoff. Two crowds of armed men, standing opposite each other, weapons aimed the other. With ease, she walked through the nearer crowd, her frail brother following closely. Her men lowered their weapons as she reached proximity of her people, then they followed her as she returned to Michael’s car. “Now that that’s out of the way…” she said confidently.

  “Kershaw will turn against you before she heeds your advice,” said Ethan.

  “Ethan, she’s a mother with thousands of children. She’ll do whatever it takes to protect them. Even if it means siding with the enemy. You know what they say about the enemy of your enemy.”

  As they loaded into the car, Lilith in the back seat and Ethan opposite of Michael, the rest of their people loaded into their transports as well. Ethan then asked, “This wasn’t about saving lives, it was about diplomacy?”