“Oh, I need one of these!” She giggled as the bear cub scarfed down the meat, making his usual nom, nom growly noises.
Dean lowered his weapon again and stepped forward. “Annie, bears are wild animals. Sure, he’s real cute right now. But if he gets hungry enough, those claws could take your face off.”
Allistor nodded. “He’s right, Annie. Fuzzy here is special. He’s my companion, and he won’t bite you unless I ask him to. Maybe not even then.” He grinned down at the cub. “But you shouldn’t approach any animal these days. There are some nasty things out here now. I’m sure you’ve seen some of them?”
Annie’s face grew solemn. “Too many. We keep losing people when we come out here to find food and stuff. And once when a monster spawned inside the locker room.”
Allistor’s eyes perked up. “Spawned. You’re a gamer?”
Annie’s smile returned, if not as bright as before. “Yup! And I know this whole place seems to work like a VR game now.”
“Great! So maybe what I have to tell you won’t be so hard to believe. Listen. We spotted you guys from up on the airport tower. There’s also a fire going near a warehouse over that way.” He pointed in the appropriate direction. “Is that another group? Or is that your home base?”
Dean shook his head. “That’s not us. There is another group out there. We’ve heard gunshots once in a while. But we’ve kept to ourselves so far. No way to know if they’re friendly.”
“I hear ya.” Allistor understood completely. “I’ve been exploring for the last few weeks. Run across two other groups, besides Helen here. The first was a good group of people trapped in their own Stronghold by a group of asshat murderers. Most of the asshats are dead now.” He looked directly into Dean’s eyes as he spoke. “The others have joined me at my Stronghold north of here.”
Dean nodded his head. “Glad to hear there are other groups out there. That damned message on the first day said they were going to exterminate us.”
Allistor sighed. “They’re doing a pretty good job. Sent this giant void titan thing to my town and wiped it out. Killed most of us and stomped everything flat before we managed to kill it. Out of the whole town, there are less than a dozen of us left that we know of.”
There was a long stretch of silence as folks remembered their losses.
Finally, Allistor broke the silence. “I don’t want to keep you guys from finding what you need here today. If you’re short on food, Helen and I have some we can share. How many of you are there, by the way?”
Dean looked suspicious, but Annie answered. “Nine of us, now. There were almost twenty when it started.”
Helen patted the young girl on the shoulder. “We’ve got more than enough food for nine. If Fuzzy doesn’t eat it all himself first.” This brought a slight smile to Annie’s face. But when Helen added, “That is, if you don’t mind grilling up some giant snake meat.” Annie’s smiled disappeared.
“Ew! Snake meat?”
Dean chuckled, lowering his weapon the rest of the way and relaxing. “Snake meat is tasty! You’ll like it, you’ll see.”
Allistor said, “If you guys want to keep foraging, Helen and I will go see this other group. If they’re friendly as well, maybe we can all gather this evening for a meal, and I’ll share what I know.”
Dean nodded. “Be careful. Where do you want to meet up?”
Allistor considered for a few seconds. He didn’t want to invite them to the mall yet. But he didn’t want to push himself into their home, either.
“You tell me. Is there a place large enough for us to gather that also has a grill or a working kitchen that we can use? Someplace nearby, to reduce the risk of running into monsters?”
Dean replied “There’s a rib joint not far from where we’re staying. It has two big wood-burning grills out back. Good place to cook snake meat. Lots of tables and chairs.”
“Perfect! We’ll go see the other group and bring them there if they seem alright. Let’s say… 1:00?” He waited for Dean to nod. The others from his group, two more men and a woman, appeared from their various hiding places. Everyone was introduced, and Dean gave them a location for the meetup. Annie gave Fuzzy’s ears a final scratch, and the two groups parted ways.
Back in the truck, Helen navigated while Allistor drove them in the direction of the smoke they’d seen. It didn’t take long, even at slow speeds, to reach the warehouses. A quick search as they drove down one side street revealed one structure with three trucks parked near the door, and the broken windows boarded up from the inside. Once again, Allistor gave a quick double-honk of the horn, and they waited for some kind of response.
Two full minutes passed before a voice called down from above. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Allistor stuck his head out the window and looked up, finding three men on the roof with handguns pointed at him. He called back, “Name’s Allistor. I’m a survivor like you. I’m looking for others to join with us. We have a safe place nearby, and plenty of food.”
“We’re safe enough here. But I like your truck. Why don’t you just get out and walk away. We promise not to shoot if you do as you’re told.” The same voice echoed off the surrounding buildings. It was coming from the man on the far left. A small, thin man with spiked hair bleached white as snow. He shifted from one foot to the other constantly as Allistor observed him. Almost as if he needed to take a leak.
“I don’t think so… I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Everybody calls me Twitch. You can call me Mister Twitch. This is my block, and visitors passing through have to pay a toll. Now, get out of the truck and walk away. You can take your dog with you.” He motioned toward Fuzzy, who was curled up in the back seat.
“Listen, Twitch… there’s no need to be hostile. I’m trying to be your friend, here. You don’t need this truck, you’ve got three right there. And there are hundreds more around to choose from. Besides, I like this truck. How ‘bout we all relax and talk a bit. We can go together and get you a nice Escalade or something later.”
One of the other men laughed out loud. “Twitch in an Escalade? That’s like havin’ a solid gold litterbox. Looks purty and has nothin’ but shit inside.”
The two men who were not Twitch laughed briefly, then quieted down quickly when they noticed he didn’t join them. Sucking air through his teeth, he said, “Shut the hell up, Vern. Or the next time one of them dog-things latches on to you, I’ll just watch it chow down.”
Allistor tried again. “Listen, guys. How ‘bout you come down and talk to us? We found another group nearby already this morning, and they’re willing to meet us for lunch. My treat.”
All three men were thin, with sunken cheeks that suggested they weren’t eating enough. Allistor hoped the temptation of food would be enough to lure them down. Though at this point he was sure he didn’t want them among his people. He waited while they mumbled amongst themselves.
Then Twitched called down. “You have that much food? Then you can spare some! Leave the food in the truck and get walking!” He fired a shot in the air for emphasis.
“Trigger-happy psychos,” Helen hissed as she gripped the door hard enough to turn her knuckles white. “Let’s get out of here before they shoot one of us!”
Allistor had a similar sentiment in his own mind. But also anger at these idiots who were turning down a better life. “Look, Twitch. There are so few of us left. We need to get stronger to prepare for the aliens, not rob and kill each other!”
“Aliens? What aliens. You’re so full of crap, dude. There’s no such thing as aliens!” The other two men backed away from Twitch as he was waving his gun around wildly. “Get your ass out of that truck and get off my block!” This time he fired a round into the street near one of the tires.
Allistor had seen enough. He cast Flame Shot at Twitch, a fireball flying upward to strike the man’s chest. The moment the spell was away, he gunned the engine and the truck shot forward. He knew from experience that every
foot of distance from the shooters made it less likely they’d hit him, Helen or Fuzzy. Or a vital part of the truck.
A few bullets plinked off the roof as the engine roared and the truck sped away. He went straight for a block, then turned sharply down an alley. Stomping the brake pedal, he brought the truck to a halt out of sight of the men on the roof. Grabbing his rifle from his ring, he hopped out of the truck and ran back to the corner.
The firing had stopped as soon as the men on the roof lost sight of the truck. But they were still up there. Allistor couldn’t see Twitch, but he must have been laying down on the roof, because the other two men were standing with their backs to Allistor and looking down. One opened a can of beer and poured it on his friend. Allistor and Helen could hear Twitch screaming.
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to shoot these guys,” he said to Helen as he raised his rifle and put an eye to the scope. It wasn’t a long shot, only a block, but he wanted to be sure of a kill.
Helen’s response was barely a whisper. “No, I don’t. But I will. They tried to kill us and would have taken everything we had. We can’t leave them to kill us or someone else later. When an animal becomes rabid, you put it down.”
She took a knee next to him, raising her rifle with the ease and smooth movements of an expert. Taking aim, she said, “I’ve got the one on my right. You take the other one.”
Allistor put the red dot in his scope dead center of the left guy’s head. “Three… two… one.” They fired nearly in unison. Allistor’s target went down with a spray of red mist as his brains exited the other side of his skull at a high velocity. Helen had gone for a safer target, drilling a hole through her man’s chest. Both dropped out of sight as Twitch continued to scream, and experience points flashed across Allistor and Helen’s interfaces.
“We need to get up there and finish Twitch.” Allistor was conflicted even as he said it. They had no way to know who else was inside the building. And an injured but still living Twitch might be very dangerous to confront.
The two of them left the cover of the corner and jogged toward the warehouse door. Seeing that it opened inward, Allistor didn’t wait to see if it was unlocked. He simply lowered his shoulder and smashed into it. The door proved to be no match for his improved strength and momentum. It burst open, swinging inward to slam against the wall behind it and bounce back at Allistor. He ignored it as he swept the room with his eyes, his weapon following shortly behind. The place was mostly empty. There were three mattresses set in different corners of the large room, each with a crate next to it. Empty beer bottles and trash littered the floor. Near the center of the room were three chairs set around a steel drum with a metal grill set on top.
Helen entered a few seconds later, making her own scan of the place. Fuzzy was right behind her, his nose twitching. Both of them quickly wrinkled their noses in disgust. “Quite the bachelor pad,” Helen whispered. Her hands were shaking as they held her rifle, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Allistor couldn’t tell whether she was frightened, or sick over having killed someone.
Without a word, he led the way up the rickety wooden stairs at the back of the warehouse. Both of them winced with every creak and groan of the wood as they climbed. They stopped at a second-floor office, which they quickly checked then ignored as they continued up the next flight to the top landing. Here was the door to the roof.
Knowing this one would be unlocked, Allistor motioned for Helen to stand to one side and open it. He backed up to the top step and crouched down, switching from his rifle to his shotgun. Raising the weapon toward the door, he nodded to Helen. She slowly turned the knob, trying to be quiet. When she felt the bolt disengage, she flung the door open, stepping to the side for cover.
Again the door flew open, then bounced back. Allistor got only a brief look outside before it slammed shut again. Helen’s eyes grew wide and despite her fear, she giggled. Slamming her hands over her mouth, she shook her head, apologizing with her eyes. Allistor just shook his own head and stood up.
Not having seen anything in his brief view of the roof, he stepped forward and opened the door. Pushing it more gently, he stepped outside with shotgun at the ready. He made it two steps onto the roof when shots rang out. One struck the door behind him, the other ripped through the meat of his shoulder, tearing the deltoid muscles. He fired the shotgun out of reflex, not aiming or hitting anything as he fell to the ground. The weapon left his hands, and his left hand instinctively clamped on to the wound on his right shoulder.
Twitch screamed, “I’ll kill you!” and fired again, the bullet digging into the roof material inches from Allistor’s face. Allistor cast Restraint on him, but it only slowed him for a second. The man was a mess. His clothes and skin were charred from the center of his chest upward. His hair was mostly burned away, and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
Allistor cast Barrier between himself and Twitch, hoping it would absorb enough of the next shot to keep him alive. Then he cast Mind Spike, making the man scream in pain and grip his head for a moment. Saliva dripped from his open mouth as he recovered from the mind spike and glared at Allistor with pure hatred.
Twitch was shakily bringing the gun to bear on Allistor’s head when a shot from Helen’s rifle rang out. In her rush to raise her weapon, she’d fired early. The shot ripped through Twitch’s gut, knocking him on his back. He screamed again in pain, rolling onto his stomach.
Allistor, still on the ground, grunted, “Finish him.”
Helen took one horrified look at Twitch, then shook her head and looked down at her feet. “I can’t. He’s… he’s helpless.”
Allistor nodded. Forcing himself to his feet, he walked over to Twitch. Unable to use his right arm, he pulled his pistol from its holster with his left. Not used to holding a gun in that hand, he leaned down to put it close to Twitch’s head and pulled the trigger.
Feeling sick himself, he took a few deep breaths as he first holstered his weapon, then cast a heal on himself. When the bleeding had stopped and he felt steadier, he bent down and touched Twitch’s corpse to loot it. Not even looking at what he received, he motioned for Helen to do the same. When she refused, he took her hand.
“You need to do this. I know it seems creepy. But there may come a time when what you loot from a body is the thing that saves your life.” He pointed at the corpse, which was thankfully still face-down. “He asked for this. We came here to offer friendship, and he made it life or death. You’ve done nothing wrong here. He would have killed me if you hadn’t fired.”
She nodded, biting her upper lip. Reaching down, she looted Twitch. Then Allistor indicated she should loot the other man she shot as he looted his target. They did so in silence, then headed back downstairs. Fuzzy was waiting outside, not wanting to remain in the smelly warehouse. Allistor cast another heal on himself, then asked Helen to take Fuzzy back to the truck while he quickly searched the main room for guns or other useful items. The three men had only had handguns. In a city where half the residents probably had long guns in their homes, this spoke of the men’s laziness. Or that they preferred to steal rather than hunt.
Back in the truck, they spent some time cruising the streets of the city to decompress. Allistor put the windows down and spoke softly to Helen about their upcoming lunch with the other survivors. She was mostly silent in the seat next to him, gripping the door handle tightly with one hand and her rifle with the other. Eventually, her monotone single-syllable answers became short sentences. As his words calmed her down, she even turned to meet his gaze.
“I’m sorry, Allistor. I just… I never in my life thought I’d kill someone. I mean, as a ranger there was always a remote possibility that a drunken camper with a gun might get out of hand. Or a fugitive would take to the woods. But in those situations, we would usually have backup, and be thinking arrest, not kill.”
“The fact that it bothers you is a good sign, Helen. Along with the fact that you pulled the trigger when you needed to. So you can take care
of business, protect yourself and others, without being a trigger-happy psycho!” He grinned as he spoke.
This actually earned a small smile from her. “Thanks for that.”
They spent another couple hours cruising the city. Every once in a while, Allistor honked the horn to see if anyone would respond. They drove back out to the missile base and Helen tried cycling through the radio channels again, to no avail. If there was anyone inside, they weren’t responding.
On the way back toward their lunch meeting, Helen suddenly pointed and whispered loudly “There! Something just moved behind that car! I think it was a kid?” Fuzzy growled, his nose in the air.
Allistor followed her pointed finger and slowed to a stop. They watched the car on her side of the street for a few seconds before he suggested, “Call out to them.”
“Hey there! My name’s Helen. Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you.”
A small head popped up to look through the car windows at them. The glass was too dusty for Allistor to see more than a vague outline. After a few seconds, it disappeared just as quickly.
Helen got out of the truck, leaving her weapon inside. “It’s okay. We’re here to help you. Are you injured? Hungry? We’ve got food.”
She walked slowly toward the car, hands out in front of her patting the air as if calming a fight. “I’m not going to hurt you, little one,” she said as she rounded the back bumper of the vehicle.
Something shot forward and leapt up at her face. Her hands, already in front of her, managed to grab hold of it as she flinched backward. The action saved her as two bony arms reached for her face, tiny claws extended and swiping within inches of her nose.
“Aaargh!” She screamed and spun around, tossing the thing away from her and causing it to slam into a nearby wall. Helen fled back to the truck even as Allistor was getting out. The thing, whatever it was, let out a high-pitched screech as it got up from the sidewalk and shook its head. About three feet tall, it had long bony arms and legs, with a head that looked too big for its body. The mouth was full of sharp, serrated teeth. A moment later it was speeding after Helen.
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