Remnant

by Michael Clements

  But he was still there.

  They stared at one another. “That's too bad,” she faintly breathed.

  “What is?” asked Marcus.

  Theia dragged herself the rest of the way to her room and closed the door behind her. Her will was debilitated. She dropped to her knees and fell, face-first, to the floor.

  SETH

  He couldn't reach her. With every step, his right leg felt like it would give out on him. He knew they only ran from him because he was armed, otherwise they would simply kill him without a second thought. Seth remembered the direction they were headed in when he had last spotted them.

  The city was quiet, and Mercy's cries were distinct. He could follow her without seeing her. Her captors changed routes and directions frequently, but it did little to help them. He wished that Mercy would at least attempt to fight back, but she's smart, he thought. She knows better than to push them.

  Seth's leg was nearing its limit, about to give out. He had to stop, much to his regret. Mercy was lost to the city when her cries were snuffed out by the distance, and the buildings between. She was pulled toward the southwest, he last remembered. He moved in that direction slowly, with one hand holding his injured leg, the other holding his pistol.

  Interstate 405 was before him. If she's on the other side, I'll never find her, he thought. He rushed across anyway. Halfway across, he heard multiple shots fired at him. All missed, but struck dangerously close. He hid behind one of the many abandoned cars on the road for cover. To test them, he extended his leg and reeled in a motorcycle helmet. He raised it up slowly and they fired on him again, but didn't hit the helmet either. Shit aim, he thought of them.

  It was worth the risk. Seth leaped up, as much as someone in his condition could leap, and ran the remaining length of the bridge. Then, the shooting inexplicably stopped. Must have wasted too much ammo.

  He saw them again, dragging Mercy to the other side of a building to his left. Despite his tenacity, his body nearly gave in. He had pushed it far too much. Around the bend, he prepared his pistol, holding it pointed up next to his face.

  “Cough cough. Seth... hack... SETH!” Mercy was calling.

  He followed her voice without hesitation. She was sitting alone on the sidewalk crying, her mouth bleeding.

  Seth reached her, but by that moment it was too late. Four people swarmed him. They charged before he could fire a shot, throwing him to the concrete and proceeding to pummel him until he was unconscious.

  He woke with the taste of blood still in his mouth. Everything ached, feeling like something in his belly had ruptured. He could only pray that it was merely a strong aching. He heard breathing behind him, alarming him. Isaac was there, standing straight as always. Seth started flailing about, attempting to assault the man, but Isaac only needed to step out of the way.

  “What is it about her?” the businessman asked. “Why do you put your life at risk for her? You went up against Ethan just to have her, before you even knew her name.”

  “Where is she?” Seth couldn't stand. The wounds, exhaustion, starvation and thirst had taken their toll. “The fuck is she?”

  “Servicing,” said Isaac, “like I always wanted her to.” Isaac glanced at Cameron, the only other one in the room with them. “I thought Ethan would be with her, but instead, it's you. Disappointing.”

  “Where is she?”

  Isaac sighed. “Here, in the building, in a place you can't reach her; not without my permission. Look, Seth, I honestly want to talk.” Seth spat at Isaac's shoes, a mixture of both saliva and blood. “That stunt you pulled with Rachel led to the deaths of dozens of people. Do you understand that? It cost me nearly everything I had.”

  “I didn't kill them.” Seth grunted, as he struggled to stand. There was no way he would allow Isaac to hold him captive. But Isaac merely called Cameron over to beat him to the floor again.

  “You did kill them, though. No one would have known about it. Sure, everyone suspected I was up to something, but they were glad to remain in the dark. Glen put you up to that, didn't he? Now he's dead with the rest. Rachel, too. You only survived because you ran away, as always.”

  “So did you.” Seth resisted the urge to cry. Isaac would only get more satisfaction to see that. “You killed them all, not me.”

  “More than half the women I put into service grew to love it, Seth. They were well-fed. They were taken care of. Best of all, they had fun with it.” Isaac chuckled, “What's better than living like there's no tomorrow, when the world's ended and there really might not be a tomorrow?” He squatted to Seth's level. “They would all be alive if it weren't for you, whether my actions were morally sound or not. You know nothing about right or wrong. You know nothing about survival.”

  “You drugged Rachel. You let men rape her. Are you...” He coughed hard, tasting blood. “Are you so delusional... that you think she liked it?”

  “It was better than sitting around waiting for the world to fix itself. She may as well have preferred staring at a dead tree. When you're feeling better, there's something I want to show you. Maybe it will give you some perspective.”

  “Why don't you just kill me?” groaned Seth. “Kill me, kill Mercy. Get it over with.”

  “I'm not a killer, Seth, unless I must be. I didn't ask Daniel to slaughter everyone. He deserved his fate. Also, I have to admit, I'm much too fond of you. You're a confused child, but a loyal one. I'll win you back, and maybe we can resume this relationship from where it left off.”

  They dropped him in an empty room with a concrete floor. There was nothing around him except one window, which was boarded. He could stand, but it wasn't long before he had to gently lay himself down again. Apart from the injuries, he had a throbbing, pulsating headache in sync with his heartbeats.

  People entertained themselves just outside the room – laughing, singing and casually conversing. Isaac's voice was among them, faintly. Seth never knew Isaac to be social even in entirely social settings. He could distinguish other voices as well. Cameron, Travis..., and others whose names he couldn't recall at the moment. Some were entirely foreign to him. New home, new friends, he figured. They had noticeably different voices, though. They were the ones throwing things and making more condescending remarks, all in the name of good fun.

  Women were among them, he realized, when he heard someone spank one of them. It seemed they had just called the women in.

  Mercy...

  Seth crawled to the door, pressing his face hard up against it. He had to know she wasn't out there. There was giggling, and there were groveling requests to leave. Some were having fun, some couldn't have felt more tortured. Isaac said nothing that made it seem he was enjoying that any more than the women, but he didn't openly object to it either. Mercy could not be heard. Seth wanted to believe that was a sign she was not out there, degrading herself for their entertainment, but he couldn't be sure. I'd have to accept it anyway. What could I do about it?

  He looked at the doorknob, or at least where it would have been. The bolt lock was gone too. Seth pushed against the door, and it did not even begin to move. Worth the try. He sank back to the floor, waiting to either die or to be beaten again. There was no longer reason to fear either.

  He dozed, and by the time he woke, he found food set in the center of the room. Some corn, beets and spinach mush. It was the least appealing meal he had ever seen, but far from disgusting. He inhaled all of it, finding it surprisingly satisfying. Part of him thought it was a sign that someone would return to talk to him, or release him. But hours passed, and still nothing. He lowered himself to the freezing floor again. The second time he woke, the room was still empty. The third time, same, and the fourth. Finally, it was morning, and someone had just come in with another small plate of vegetables.

  “Is there running water here?” he asked, wondering who that was. One of the new friends.

  “There is,” the short man replied. “Why? Need to take a leak?”

  “Among other thin
gs. I haven't used a toilet for a while.”

  Footsteps came from a few feet behind the deliverer. “I'm wondering if I should make you sleep in your own feces,” said Isaac, approaching him with bodyguards trailing behind. “A toilet's a luxury. We're lucky that we've been able to avoid having to shit in buckets. Well, maybe not everyone. We have somewhere to get rid of our waste... We're such filthy animals when you think about it. No different than any other animal, yet we always thought of ourselves as being above them.”

  The others departed. Isaac must have known Seth would not attack him to leave himself unguarded. “Make your point so you can leave,” he grumbled at Isaac.

  “I told you I wanted to show you something. Can you stand?”

  Good of you to care, Seth thought. “I can straighten my legs, yes.” He took the question as insulting. I'm not that weak. Damn.

  Isaac extended a hand, helping Seth stand. To Seth's surprise, Isaac exited the room without waiting for him to follow. He tried to hurry behind, interpreting Isaac's action to mean he should. He limped out of the room and saw Isaac take a seat on a couch only a dozen feet from the door, pulling up an old newspaper. He sat on the couch opposite, waiting. The guards, who stood by with their eyes fixed on him, said nothing. Isaac was silent as well.

  Several minutes later, Seth finally asked, “...Well?”

  Isaac lowered the paper. “'Well' what? Look around, find something to do.”

  I'm free? thought Seth. It was exactly what Isaac seemed to imply. To test it, Seth stood up slowly, keeping his eyes on the guards; more their long rifles than their hefty arms. Where did Isaac get these guys? he couldn't help wondering. It all seemed true when he walked around without anyone impeding him. “Why didn't you just let me go in the first place?”

  “To give you perspective, Seth. And don't get too comfortable. Your freedom has its limits.” Isaac comfortably continued to read the paper. “D.C. was the first to fall. Did you know that? A solid three months before Portland.”

  Seth didn't care to hear more. With his new freedom, he first located a bathroom. Afterward, he returned to Isaac in the common room, finding him speaking to several new faces, most of whom stood behind one in particular. He analyzed what he saw for a moment. They're not his men, he ascertained. Explains how he got his business back on track so quickly.

  “I want to talk to Mercy,” he said when Isaac concluded the discussion with his new friends.

  “Of course you do.” Apparently, there was no need for further words. Isaac led Seth to the floor above theirs, on what appeared to be the top floor of the building. That was where most of Isaac's men remained. They patrolled the halls, keeping to themselves except when escorting a customer to a room, of which there were several at that moment. “Stay,” he told Seth like a pet. Isaac peeked into Mercy's room. “She's busy. You can wait out here until she's done.”

  Busy...

  The words nearly killed Seth to hear. He went to a wall far from any guard and slumped down to the floor. He was making good friends with the floor as of late. He tried thinking of other things to keep his mind distracted. Nothing helped. He resorted to closing his eyes, simply listening to the conversations of the wandering guards.

  He was back on his feet before he knew it. The door to Mercy's room had opened, a tall, suave-looking man walking out. It was a soldier of the US army, and a high-ranking one at that. Seth recognized the stars. The man was a lieutenant colonel. He left Mercy's quarters with a smug confidence on his face. He looked at the guards with a repulsive arrogant expression. Seth nearly lunged at him. The man was a traitor in his mind; a traitor to his country for failing to keep it in order, and a traitor for violating one of his own people.

  “Get in there,” said the guard standing nearest Mercy's room. Isaac had informed the man that Seth would be paying her a visit, so long as she doesn't service him for free. “You have ten minutes.”

  Seth obeyed without question. Only ten. Opening the door and stepping inside, Seth saw Mercy was uplifted to see his face, but had already seemed to be in a good mood before he came in. “Are you okay?” he asked. She walked to him, giving a close embrace before she replied.

  “I'm fine.” Mercy let him hold her for a moment longer than a usual hug.

  “I'm so sorry,” he said when she returned to the other side of the room. “I did my best to save you, I swear.”

  “Don't beat yourself up about it, Seth. It's not your fault. None of it is.” With her back facing Seth, she removed her shirt, which was worn out and torn in some places, and put on a new one Seth had never seen her wear before. He saw her back was scraped and bruised, and in some places, particularly her hands, dead skin was peeling off. “I tried to stop you from coming after me, remember?”

  “I know, but I acted anyway. We both did.”

  “Where is James now?” she asked, turning to face him.

  “I don't know. When he ran after Candace, that was the last I saw him.”

  “They probably found a new place,” she said. “A new place to wait for things to get better. I'm not sure if it's worse to be here or out there, to be honest, Seth.”

  Seth couldn't get his mind off that shirt. “Do you belong to Isaac now? Does he make you wear that to mark his property?” The question was rhetorical.

  Mercy's eyes drifted. “At least I'm still alive,” she said. “I'm always thankful for that.”

  “Isaac is being lenient with me,” said Seth. “He won't keep me locked up as long as I behave. I don't know exactly what that means, but I'll do the best I can.” He approached her with his arms open. “I will find a way to get you out of here. I promise. I'll figure something out.”

  She smiled. “They'll kill us both if you try. Just let it be, Seth.”

  “No. I'm making a promise, and I will keep it. You won't be Isaac's slave forever. If I have to die to keep my word, so be it.” He bent down, pulling her face into his and kissed her. She did not resist it, but apparently did not enjoy it either. When Seth didn't pull away, she closed her lips entirely. Seth stopped. He let go and stepped back, frustrated. “Why?”

  “It's not a good time for that, Seth,” she said.

  “'Not a good time?' You mean you just don't want to. You don't want me.”

  Mercy said nothing. After a reluctant moment, she nodded subtly.

  “I risked my life for you. You know that? My life. I've protected you, I kept you warm at night... You know, I thought we were starting to have something there.”

  “We needed warmth. Letting you sleep with your arm around me wasn't a mixed message, Seth. I wish you didn't interpret it that way.”

  “You didn't take the time to make things clear, either. Why don't you want me anyway? Why am I not good enough?” He recalled her face when he walked into the room. “Maybe you like this. Maybe you wanted to become a whore. Hell, you were probably a whore before I met you. And Ethan just happened to need you. That explains everything! You are a whore. You used Ethan, and he used you, and what do you care? No... It's him you're in love with, isn't it?”

  “Seth... You're getting it all wrong. I'm not like that. And I don't have feelings for Ethan. He's gone.” Mercy remained calm while Seth only deteriorated further.

  “You still love him. You still want to be with him. You just can't let him go. When you made him leave, it was only because he killed Glen and you were mad. I bet you've been wishing he had never left. Why else would you not want to be with me?”

  “Seth, please. For God's sake! I don't have feelings for anyone. With what's going on and everything, now is just not a good time to-”

  Seth stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He was met with laughter from all the guards. They threw comments like “Couldn't get it up?” Seth turned and, in his rage, charged at the nearest guard. The man was able to pull up his gun and beat Seth down with a single blow to the head. Seth's headache worsened tremendously. The guard aimed his rifle between Seth's eyes. “Stupid fuck,” was the last
thing Seth remembered hearing.

  He woke when he was dropped back in the cell. Isaac had the two men who brought him leave.

  “She didn't return the feelings, did she?” said Isaac.

  “Fuck you.”

  Isaac grinned as he stepped up to the boarded window, peering out at what little there was to see. “Cameron recognized you on the freeway, you know. He gave the order to bring you here alive because he knew I would want you here alive. Do you recall the first thing I asked you when you were brought here?”

  Seth said nothing.

  “I asked you why Mercy means so much to you. So, please tell me. Don't make me ask again, because I will be rather upset.”

  Seth's face was swollen, and his head felt like it weighed more than the rest of his body. “I...don't know,” he struggled to say.

  “I'll tell you why, Seth. It's because you have natural urges, and you're lying to yourself. You think it's love.” Seth crawled his way to the nearest wall as Isaac continued. “I think love is real, but only when it's mutually developed. Before then, it's nothing but a desire to fuck. That's how it always begins for you. If they don't catch your attention with their body... Mmm, nope. That's what you are, Seth: an aroused primate, and you've convinced yourself it's something more.”

  He dares to talk about what Mercy means to me? I'll kill him. I don't even care anymore. I'll kill him, then Mercy, then everyone else in this place.

  “Mercy has controlled everything you do since the moment you laid eyes on her. She never wanted you, and that only made you want her more. It's always what you can't have, isn't it? You know, it wasn't easy at first. When Daniel and I started rounding up girls to sell, I hated myself for it. I couldn't hear them cry. I couldn't see them hurt. But it kept me alive. The girls we sold paid for everything. Before I know it, you come along and more than a dozen others, all lining up to obey my orders, as if I'm some wise leader you look up to.

  “How did I get used to it? How did I teach myself to live with it? I reminded myself: they were keeping me alive. Like in the world before. Everyone knew animals were slaughtered by the millions just to fill the stores. Everyone knew that people were dying of starvation in other countries, long before we brought that affliction on ourselves. How did we all live with ourselves? Because we were alive and healthy. That's all it ultimately comes down to. We accept the things that keep us going, no matter what they are. The need to fuck is part of that biological need to survive. It drives everything we do.”