The Loki Variation

by James Riley, Sabrina

  “She’s not my daughter.” Sasha said, her mind reeling. She was still watching the man walk away and could feel anger building. That had been a Navy uniform he was wearing, didn’t they have to take some kind of oath to help those in danger? He had threatened to kill Nora, and then just walked away, leaving them to fend for themselves when they had no idea what was happening.

  Before she could reason herself out of it, she was up and running after the man. She ignored Derek’s calls to her, and the man turned around and was pointing the gun at her again.

  She didn’t stop, and the man looked hesitant to shoot at her as he took a few unsteady steps backwards. She was almost unaware of the words that were already coming out of her mouth.

  “ What the hell is wrong with you? Help us! We have a hurt little girl, and there has been no one to help us! You almost killed us! What are you trying to do?” She was in his face, and he extended an arm to push her backwards.

  Something pulled her backwards, too, and she realized Derek was there, trying to make her step back. She shook her arm to get him to release her, and she stared at the man with fury in her eyes.

  “Sasha, let’s just go.” Derek pleaded. He was eying the pistol in the man’s hands. The man lowered the gun and put his hands up.

  “There were hundreds of them. They had already either killed or changed everyone that was in my building, and they followed me into that warehouse. I killed them all. I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

  His eyes dropped to the ground and Sasha instantly felt guilty.

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do. There’s no one here?” She said desperately. She looked back at Nora’s tiny frame, laying where Derek had left her, Ripley standing guard over her.

  The man put the gun into the holster, and wiped his sweating hands on his shirt.

  “I’m Chris Hudson. Hud. No, there’s no one here. No one’s coming. Last night, the base went on lockdown, everyone was to report to duty. Some kind of massive rescue was happening, but they didn’t tell us why. For all we knew it was a drill. We were loading trucks when someone went nuts and starting attacking other people, then everyone was fighting, killing each other. With bare hands. It happened so fast, I can’t believe I made it out.”

  Sasha felt all hope leave her. The entire base was wiped out. She felt weak, and focused on remaining standing.

  Derek stepped forward, grasping Sasha’s arm to steady her and spoke to Hud.

  “I’m Derek. This is Sasha. I almost killed her, too. She had that little girl with her, the dog is mine. Where do we go now?” He wasn’t as muscular as Hud, but he was at eye level and did not seem afraid. Hud shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think there is anywhere to go. The last thing I heard was that this was some kind of epidemic, probably all over the world. I’m going to stay here. ”

  Sasha shrugged out of Derek’s grip and looked up at Hud.

  “We are staying with you.”

  Derek looked at her, surprised. She looked back, right into his eyes.

  “I have nowhere to go. My parents are probably dead. The whole city is probably dead. Nora’s hurt, she’s all alone too. It’s safer to wait this out.” She dropped her gaze and headed back towards Nora.

  Derek and Hud followed. They talked amongst themselves while Sasha put the water bottle back in the backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Hud had decided to take shelter in one of the utility buildings on the beach side of the base. He said it was the sturdiest place he could find, no windows. He had stayed there all night after he had escaped. He had come back out, and was looking for other survivors. He had lured several dozen of the infected into the warehouse and blown it up using gasoline tanks and homemade fuses.

  Derek picked Nora up, and fell in line beside Sasha as Hud led them towards the shelter. The sun was directly above them as they walked in silence.

  Chapter 12.

  They were trudging through the sandy lots, passing empty buildings. Derek had to stop a few times to readjust Nora, not for his comfort, but because he was concerned for hers. They were following the coast, the ocean was so close they could hear waves crashing on the beach. After a grueling half hour hike, Hud went towards a high chain link fence, topped with razor wire. The fence was surrounding what looked like an electrical substation, and there was a small building off to the side. It was made of cinder blocks, and was shaped like a miniature house. Apparently, earlier, he had shot the padlock off of the chain holding the gate shut, and now the chain was wrapped, unlocked, around the links. He pulled them off, and entered the station, pulling his gun.

  Sasha entered after him, holding the shotgun, while Derek and Ripley brought up the rear. They walked cautiously around the cabling and the menacing looking equipment, to the little building. The wooden door had been breached last night by Hud in his desperation to seek shelter, and it hung, although closed, from one bent hinge. He pushed it open, entering with his pistol ahead of him, shining a tiny flashlight around the small dark interior.

  The space was empty, except for a panel against the other wall housing rows of meters. A desk sat next to the panel, a dusty computer monitor and a few pens littering the surface. There was no computer to power the monitor.

  “This is where you stayed last night?” Sasha asked.

  “Yeah. The floor is hard, but it’s not like I was sleeping anyway.” Derek brought Nora inside, and Hud cleared off the desk for Derek to lay her on. She made a grumbling sound as he laid her down, and Sasha took off the backpack, kneeling on the ground, and used the light from the open door to search through it. She pulled out the antiseptic she had stolen earlier, and started smearing it over Nora’s cut.

  “We can’t just stay here like this, there’s nothing here.” Derek stated, as Hud watched Ripley sniff the corners of the shelter. “I think we should go look for weapons, or food and blankets, things like that.”

  Hud shrugged. “Yeah, that was where I was kind of heading this morning.” He saw the water bottles in Derek’s backpack and looked at him. “Can I have one of those?”

  Derek reached down and handed one to him, grabbing himself a bag of cookies. Sasha realized how hungry she was, despite her usual loss of appetite under stress. Derek tossed her a granola bar and a bottle of water before she had a chance to ask for it. He then ripped open a bag of chips, leaving only one side still intact, so he could set the bag down and Ripley could eat them.

  While everyone was silently chewing, Nora moved on the desk. Sasha was beside her in a moment, when Nora’s eyes opened, they saw Sasha first. The look on Nora’s face went from pained confusion to sad recollection of the horror she had survived with Sasha. Her eyes slowly moved from Sasha to Derek, who was standing right behind Sasha, then to Hud who was leaning against the opposite wall, drinking the last sip of the water. Nora’s eyebrows furrowed as she turned her eyes back to Sasha, questioning.

  “You’re okay, Nora. This is Derek, and that’s Hud. They won’t hurt you. You hit your head really hard, and I know it probably hurts really bad, so I want you to just relax, okay?” She dug around in Derek’s back pack and pulled out a bottle of over the counter headache relief pills. She pushed them into Nora’s mouth, Nora didn’t resist, then Sasha held the bottle of water to the girl’s lips, letting her get the pills down and satiate her thirst before she pulled the bottle away from her and helped her lay back down. Sasha began stroking the girls hair, who kept her eyes on Sasha until they started flutter. Sasha stood by the desk, fingers running through Nora’s hair, until Nora was asleep again.

  Sasha didn’t move, lost in thought. Hud’s comment from earlier was ringing in her ears. Put her out of her misery. Sasha wondered if she had done the right thing in rescuing the little girl from her mother. The idea of what would have happened if she hadn’t saved her made her want to retch, but she wasn’t sure this was much better. Nora hadn’t said a word since they left the apartments, although she had remained mostly alert. Now she was alone, injured, and
scared. She remembered the trusting look on Nora’s face, looking at Sasha before she fell asleep. Sasha had started this, and she was going to see it through. She silently vowed to finish her job of saving Nora.

  She realized she was still stroking Nora’s hair. She let her arm drop. Hud walked over, looked at Nora for a moment, and shook his head. Sasha glared at him, daring him to say what she thought he was thinking. He didn’t. Sasha began to repack the antiseptic back into the backpack.

  Watching this, Derek was getting antsy. He didn’t like the idea of being trapped in this tight space with everyone any longer than he had to be.

  “So, what do we do about supplies?” He asked. Hud was watching Sasha, a spark of interest glimmering in his eyes. He didn’t answer for a moment, until Sasha turned to look at him, waiting for his response.

  “Back to housing.” He gestured with his hand towards the residential area Derek and Sasha had come through, independently. “I think Sasha and I should go, someone has to stay here with the girl.”

  The idea made Derek tense. He would have rather left Sasha and Nora in the shelter, with Ripley to help protect them. Him and Hud could easily make it to the houses and back, if they could find a car, before the sunlight started to fade. He wanted to plan, to figure out what they would need, where they find it and how to get it back. Hud was in a hurry to get going, with Sasha.

  “I think you and I should go.” Derek said to Hud, trying to make eye contact with him. He was about to mention leaving Ripley with them, but then Sasha interrupted him.

  “No, I’ll go. Please, stay here with Nora. I’ll bring you whatever you need.”Before he could argue, she picked up the shotgun and pointed it towards the door, telling Hud to lead the way. She glanced at Derek, some unspoken message in her eyes, but Derek wasn’t able to ascertain it.

  “We’ll be back before the sun gets low.” Hud said to Derek, but his eyes were on Sasha as she led the way out the door. Hud stepped out too, and then it was just Derek and Ripley, alone in the small room, with Nora breathing deeply on the desk.

  For several minutes, Derek stood still in the dark that was left when Hud pulled the broken door closed. He argued with himself silently, wanting to go after them and send Sasha back into the safety of the shelter with Nora. On the other hand, Sasha had seemed more than willing to accompany Hud wherever they were going, and he could already tell that arguing with Sasha probably wouldn’t work out in his favor. He backed up until he was against the wall, eyes still not adjusted to the darkness. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, knees raised up before him. He let his arms and head rest on them, and after a long time of listening to Nora’s rhythmic breathing, finally fell asleep.

  Chapter 13.

  Sasha went back through the gate, and took several unsure steps. Hud was right behind her, she could feel his eyes watching her every move. She didn’t like the idea of being alone with Hud, he seemed as trustworthy as a snake, but she wanted to be the one who looked for supplies, and trusted Derek enough to leave him with Nora. Especially with his dog. Derek had looked so shocked when she volunteered to go with Hud, and she had wanted to tell him why, but the less Hud knew, the better.

  There was a parking lot a short distance to the west, and Hud and Sasha headed in that direction. There were maybe six cars parked there, their owners nowhere to be found. Hud was talking to Sasha, but she was hardly paying attention. She caught bits and pieces, him explaining the layout of the base, and swearing as he slipped on some gravel coming down the side of the hill to the parking lot.

  Sasha was alert enough to jump at the sound of his boots sliding in the gravel, and she turned instantly, shotgun raised, pointed at him.

  “Whoa.” He raised his arms up, and Sasha instantly lowered the shotgun to the ground. She turned, slightly embarrassed, and continued walking towards the parked cars. She could hear Hud chuckling behind her.

  Every car in the lot was locked. Hud swore again, and almost punched the windshield out of a truck, but stopped when he realized Sasha was watching him carefully. She waited for him to calm down, and then methodically began reaching into the wheel wells of the vehicles. After a few tries, she smiled and pulled out a small magnetic box from the back wheel well of a small sports utility vehicle. Hud smiled back, and Sasha used the key inside the box to start the engine. They pulled out onto the road, in the direction of the houses. After several minutes, Hud broke the silence.

  “So what’s the deal with you and Derek?” Hud asked, keeping his eyes focused outside the windshield.

  “There’s no deal. I met him today, after he almost shot me. About 30 seconds before you tried to blow me up.” She was oddly put off by his questioning and changed the subject. “What do we need to get from these houses?”

  “Uh. Things we need, enough to last for a few days. Water, food, maybe medicine. Blankets, clothes. Stuff for the little girl.”

  “Nora.”

  “Okay, stuff for Nora. Here, turn here.”

  Sasha turned onto another road, and she could see the homes ahead. She remained quiet while Hud listed off a few more things he wanted to find, and she made a mental note of things she wanted to find, too.

  Pulling into the first row of gray-blue houses, they scanned the street for any movement. Hud hopped out of the truck and came around to Sasha’s side to help her out. She resisted the urge to shove him away, and he followed her to the first house, making a show of being her protector.

  The nearest house was already open, the front windows broken. Sasha pushed open the cracked door, and heard a sound on the other side of the living room wall. She looked at Hud, who proceeded to step in front of her, holding his pistol out in front of him and hugging the wall, entering the living room. There was another noise like something metal being dropped, and then silence. Sasha stayed where she was, and could see Hud closing in on the dining room entrance, where the sound was coming from. Before he stepped in, he leaned his head inside to try and see, and immediately jerked it back as a dark figure lunged at him. He was able to kick it off of him, and Sasha saw that it was a young guy. She took a step forward, unsure of whether to shoot at him or wait for Hud. The young man jumped to his feet, both hands on the ground, black irises trained right on Hud. The boy was completely still, and the air was palpable as Hud waited for the next move. The kid pounced, and Hud fired off 3 shots, putting the young man down for good.

  Sasha exhaled, not even realizing she had been holding her breath, and Hud lowered the pistol and leaned into the kitchen again. Apparently, it was safe, because he stepped in. When his boot disappeared behind the corner, Sasha followed.

  The kitchen was torn apart. The fridge was standing open and everything inside it was turned over. Some things had fallen out, and there were broken jars and bottles, their contents mixing together on the tile. The counter had been swiped clean, the small appliances were all over the floor, and the decorative frames that had been hung were now broken and dangling at odd angles.

  Hud was opening cabinets. There were cans of food, and he needed a way to carry them all. Sasha grabbed a large red plastic bin that was sitting near the back door. She dumped it out, and then flinched when she realized it was full of photos, children’s artwork, memories. She looked away and handed the empty plastic bin to Hud.

  As he was filling the bin with cans of food, Sasha went through the drawers until she found a can opener, and a few steak knives. She dropped them into the bin and felt useless after that. She went to search the rest of the one story home.

  The living room wasn’t as badly damaged as the kitchen, but it was close. She knew it was futile, but for some reason, she bent and picked up the scattered couch cushions and placed them back on the sofa. There was nothing they needed in here, so she went back through the living room towards the rear of the house. It was darker through there, away from the large front windows. She held her gun in front of her as she came to the first bedroom.

  It was painted a soft yellow, and the o
ne window let just enough light in to make it seem comfortable and warm. The twin bed was covered with a floral quilt, neatly made. Stuffed animals and children’s book filled a white shelf, and a matching desk held a computer and other odds and ends. Sasha wanted to lie in the bed, cover her head, and sleep in this peaceful room forever. She wished she could bring Nora here, but instead she would have to bring it to Nora.

  Opening the closet, she found an abundance of clothing that looked to be Nora’s size. She looked around for something to put them in, and grabbed the nearly empty laundry basket in the closet. She picked a couple of pairs of pants, a few shirts. She went through the drawers of the dresser, pulling out some pink socks. She gingerly pulled up the quilt from the bed, folded it neatly, and added it. There was a pink satchel bag hanging from the door handle of the closet, and she picked that up and added it to her basket. She stood in front of the shelf, looking at each stuffed animal. Nora had clung to that stuffed dog so tightly, and now it was lost. Sasha pulled a purple plush stuffed dog off the shelf and placed it into the basket. She was absorbed in what she was doing, and didn’t even hear Hud enter the room.

  “I found some more blankets out here.” He said softly. Sasha picked up the laundry basket and headed out of the room. Standing in the hall, she looked into the peaceful room once more, then pulled the door closed.

  Hud had gone into the other bedroom and gathered a few blankets onto the bed. He was back in the walk-in closet, pulling clothes from the rack.

  “Here, I got these for Derek.” He slung a couple shirts onto the bed, and then grabbed a few more for himself. He stepped out of the closet to let Sasha enter, but she didn’t. She wanted to wear her mother’s clothes. It was all she had left of her mother now, she liked them being that close to her. She pulled a hooded sweatshirt from the hanger and went back to the bed, gathering up the items Hud had grabbed and put them in the basket. It was full now.