by Hawk, J. K.
As not to alarm Mia, I ushered for her to follow me, knowing the way down would be too treacherous for those shambling corpses. She hesitated at first, lost in the magnificence, but eventually pried herself from the view and followed along. Within minutes we were below the falls and had found the eddy that I mentioned the day before. Even though we were soaked to the bone, the temperature remained warm, and Mia did not hesitate to strip down to her undies and jump in, as Nova barked and howled in protest at the river’s, but eventually built up the courage to follow her. I myself moved up river, closer to the falls, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect and it was time to fish.
My first cast was a prelude to the bounty before us, a nice and fat Rainbow Trout, maybe twenty inches in length. And the catch continued with each cast, sometimes just a curious strike at the waters service, others a ferocious assault on my line. Within ten minutes I had three fish in my basket, and still the water around me was constantly erupting with splashed of the hungry predators.
My fourth fish, a small brookie, was pulled up just as a loud boom echoed over the raging falls and torrential downpour. I assumed it be thunder, and by the echo it was still a ways off, so I showed no concern and continued to fish while allowing Mia to enjoy the water. My fifth catch of the day was a nice salmon, the biggest fish of the day, pushing a good five pounds or more. A perfect slab of meat for smoking.
Even though searching for a generator was my main goal, the excitement of such an easy feast had overcome me and the natural fisherman inside pushed to catch even more. Filling my basket to its rim would be ideal, and worth some loss time. Besides, there was no rush getting back home, we were on vacation as one may say, enjoying all that this primitive life has to offer.
I was close to a dozen fish when another echo overcame the ravine, this time a series of loud concussions, definitely not thunder. Concerned, I scanned the rivers edges, and peered up above the falls but there was nothing but falling water. Still, the series of concussions continued, sometimes just one, then moments later a few repetitive booms. I tried to tell myself it was just the storm, but there were no flashes of lighting, and deep down my stomach churned with anxiety.
Mia and Nova soon left the eddy and waded closer to me to get a better view of the falls and to check out my catch. Carefully she pulled herself up onto an exposed rock beside me and knelt there to watch me reel in my next catch. Nova on the other hand had found a small school of fish near shore, too small for me, but perfect for her to practice hunting. Chasing and pouncing like a silly pup, not even those continuous echoes perked her ears up.
“What’s that noise?” Mia eventually called out to me. “Thunder.” I answered with a lie.
“Shouldn’t we get out of the water?”
“It’s far away. If it gets closer we will.”
I caught a few more fish just as the sun burnt its way through
the clouds and the rain ceased. Having such a bounty of fish I decided to head back to shore and search for those elusive generators. We spent the day walking further and further downstream but to no avail. I assume prior years spring melts had washed them away, so we set camp for the night and planned on heading home in the morning. Mia had worn herself out so much that she fell asleep with her head resting upon my lap before dinner was even cooked.
* * * * * There was more to this entry then what I had read to Abel, even the last paragraph was conjured to allow the story to end peaceful. In truth, their day turned rapidly into disaster, and although the boy was more than capable of handling the rest, I felt it better to leave his image of his parents in a good and peaceful light. And even though I had read this tale many times before, I decided to read it to myself once more. For me, it is a fascinating insight to the grit that these two souls possessed.
* * * * * I reassured Mia that all was well, even though my stomach tightened at the sound of one more boom, this one much louder than before. Casting my line out again, I continued to scan the area, waiting and dreading what might come for us. But nothing did, at least as of yet, and as my line tightened with the last catch of the day I hauled in another beautiful Rainbow that seemed to fight me with every ounce of strength it had, unwilling to succumb to its own demise.
Gazing over its elegant patterns of black spots over a golden canvas, and that vibrant band of pink that stretched from head to tail only put faith in a majestic creator from above. Mia leaned out from her rock to get a closer look as I removed the hook and gently lowered it back into the river. This one I decided to set free so that its beauty will continue to reign over this river. Within seconds it regained its energy, and with a powerful burst it swam out of my hands and into the deep.
Mia still knelt upon the rock, leaning out with her hands firmly planted against the stone to remain balanced. I caught myself staring, partially nude, her breast hung seductively over the flowing current. I’m not sure how long I stared for, nor am I sure if she had noticed, but my stupor broke when I saw that the rock she was perched upon was down below the water’s surface. Normally the water does rise during a rainstorm such as this, but the rivers roar had also become louder, and more ferocious.
Just as I glanced back up at the falls, a tidal wave of water breached its edge. The enraged flow was littered with fallen trees, leaves and other debris. And amongst it all, a few dozen of the Infected bobbed and tumbled over the high ledges. My heart raced, my knees trembled, and without thought, I grabbed hold of Mia and rushed through the water to the river’s edge. The pressure of the rain building up behind the neglected and worn dam walls had become too much, and the contents of Lake Flagstaff breached the blockade with the force of a God, washing anything in its path along with it.
Unfortunately, as I stepped up on shore, the wave hit, sucking us both back into the rushing current. Most of my gear, and my wonderful catch were gone in an instant as I clung onto Mia, holding her above the water as I desperately tried to direct us away from the debris, as well as those starving corpses. Keeping pace with the deluge was near impossible, a few times we were sucked under as the rush pelted us with branches and slammed us hard into rocks. I couldn’t hold on to her much longer. With one desperate maneuver, I surfaced and grabbed hold of a large tree floating beside us, and with all my strength I heaved Mia atop of it, followed by my own waterlogged body.
“HANG ON!” I shouted, and Mia complied, hugging the trunk with all her might.
We had to reach shore for not far ahead we would enter the treacherous rapids of the Dead River, a stretch once envied by rafters, but would surely become our grave with the power of a flash flood guiding us. Aside from the upcoming threat, there was still another bobbing along with us. Scattered throughout the river, their heads randomly broke the surface, before being sucked back down. And even in this chaos, they were aware of our presence, ignoring the shards of wood that impaled their corpse as the flailed violently to reach us. Grabbing hold of anything and everything to push themselves closer.
Thankfully my knife was still securely strapped to my side, and I did not hesitate to remove it. Thus began an intense obstacle course of plunging the blade into their skulls while trying desperately to hold on. I had quickly dispatched four or five within seconds, and still they kept coming for us. At one point a clammy gray hand reached up from the rolling depths and grabbed hold of Mia’s leg. She shrieked in fear, desperately trying to kick it away, and with all my strength I lunged towards her, swinging my blade down upon the infectious claws.
How I did not hit her, I have no idea, but my blade precisely and instantly hacked almost completely through its wrist, and then the force of the water tore it free, washing the body away from us. Mia continued to scream and kicked as the hand clung tightly to her ankle, and with a fierce thrust I was able to grab and pry it free before tossing it back into the depths. This in no way calmed her wails as she cried and screamed for help.
We had flowed quite a ways in just minutes, a mile I estimated, and the upcoming maze of sharp ledges and
ravines was closing in fast. In a last ditch effort I grabbed Mia firmly and lunged back into the river, grabbing hold of a branch dangling just above the river’s edge and pulled ourselves towards shore, dragging her up through dry and brittle pines. We were not on the edge of the river, but a good thirty feet from it, in what was once dense forest, but yet the surge lapped at our weakened legs.
Immediately I scoured Mia’s body, checking every inch and every crevice, not only for injury from debris but from the ever more frightening bite mark. Thankfully though, aside from a couple of nasty scrapes and bruises, she was intact. As for myself, a sting burned into my senses, radiating from my shoulder. Exhausted I flopped down on my back, reaching over and expecting to find a chunk of flesh ripped away by the Dead. Instead, my fingers brushed against the splintered edge of an inch thick branch imbedded deep into my flesh.
I chuckled to myself, more from shock then actually humor, and turn my attention back to Mia, who was now passed out beside me. Reaching over I gently stroked her damp spikey hair, deciding to let her rest. And just as I too began to drift off, the sound of heavy panting approached from behind us. Peering back I found Nova, sitting pretty, unscathed and obviously lucky to have avoided the flood, yet simply happy to see us once again
* * * * * Drifting in and out of a deep sleep, a muddled twist of bizarre dreams and the growing chorus of early morning song birds kept me in a semi-conscious and hazy state. Coherent enough to know that morning was upon me, and yet still trapped in a subconscious world of familiar oddities. I rarely dream about the Infected anymore, at least not in the same context that I am accustomed too. For instance, tonight was a long and never-ending night of people I know or once knew, randomly hanging themselves from the street-lights that illuminate the cobblestone roads of Mirabel. Their eyes were black as night, sunken back, or possibly missing. In my mind, they represent those who put their confidence and trust in me, only to be blindsided and ultimately surrendering to Valkyrie.
Those fuzzy images played heavily upon my emotions, pulling at both helplessness and sadness like some demented waltz through my neural roadways. However, there was one emotion that did not arise until the very end, upon the queue of the dawning caws of hungry crows and the chitter-chatter bustling chickadees. Fear. Dread had overcome my steadfast nature as a dark soul approached me from the Renaissance Cafe, an unrecognizable man, yet someone for whom I have been acquainted with before.
He was an older gentlemen, adorn with a dusty and tattered trenchcoat, a frayed fishermen’s hat shading his scruffy face. He had the swagger of the dead, shuffling and dragging his feet, and his hands were nothing more than leather stretched tightly upon bone. His hand slowly reached out for me, trembling slightly, before he painfully clasped hold of my shoulder and shook it violently.
“Rebellion.” He whispered just as my eyes snapped open, revealing a rising dawn, and Abel standing before me, shaking my shoulder.
“You take blood now.”He said with a stone face before walking away from my makeshift dungeon and reentering the cabin.
My thoughts were a muddled mess as I attempted to discern what had just occurred. Unsure if I was still asleep I lightly slapped my cheeks, just to be sure and to assist in clearing my frazzled mind. Slowly I rose to my feet and stumbled out of the shed and towards the cabin, yawning in exhaustion as the birds discord echoed in my ears. Before entering the cabin I took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and noted it to be better than any morning cup of coffee.
Upon entering I found that Steph had my gear unpacked and laid out upon the kitchen table, and the boy sat quietly before it, shirtless and uneasy, yet peering over all the instruments with juvenile curiosity. Without a word I began to gather everything needed, hypodermic needle with vacuum tube, rubbing alcohol, and tourniquet. Of course I suspected alcohol would be unneeded in the case of the boy, however I tend to live by the better safe than sorry method.
“Are you ready?”
My voice shook beneath my overbearing passion, and the boy nodded nervously, yet flinched none as I pierced into his vein with ease. Steph stood over my shoulders, waiting anxiously to get to work, tapping her feet with adorable impatience. My own grin stretched from ear to ear as the vial bubbled with Abel’s crimson gold, for my slavery had come to a triumphant end, and my mission was now back on course. But was it too late?
Nature of the Beast
With Valkyrie, I have learned, that nothing is impossible. But what I have discovered in the depths of Abel’s blood, is in fact an impossibility. One that even after a decades of constant research may never be explained. An unwanted yet beneficial miracle that will take the people even longer to accept, if ever. Change was forced upon us with a fiery claw, and to let it dig deeper and change us further is not the direction we have fought so hard for.
My expectations were that I’d find Valkyrie thriving within his body, his cells infected but dormant, simple enhancements of their normal functions but never changing or replacing their identity. I hoped to find Valkyrie alone and lost, wandering his network of veins like the blind in an unsolvable maze. But, this was not the case, surprisingly I had found no signs of the virus, not even one stray cell or evidence of its DNA drifted within Abel’s body. On the other hand, I found no human DNA either, in its place was the DNA of something new, a tangled mass of genes similar to both man and virus, but ultimately distinct on their own accord.
My best classification, based on the evidence, would have to be Evolutionary Symbiosis, where both lifeforms combined into a completely new species. In theory, by my calculations, this could not have happened from the bite inflicted upon Mia at Fort Rockland. The timeframe made such a metamorphosis and impossibility. No, the truth of the matter is that Mia was immune, but had also been infected with the Virus years before she was rescued by Adam.
Makes no sense? Steph thought so as well until I went over all the details wither her. Unlike most immunities where a virus is destroyed by our own antibodies, this did not transpire within Mia. Instead, Valkyrie recognized the threat, and retreated into a dormant and undetectable state. Mia went on with her life as this she-demon within waited for the moment to rise again. That time came upon the heels of Abel’s conception, the change of hormones was the dinner bell and Valkyrie assaulted the embryo in its first stages of development, ultimately merging with the embryo like dirt to water, becoming a muddy imprint of what they both once were.
Abel is a new species of man; smarter, stronger, and seeded by the rape of Lucifer himself. This discovery brings me no closer to a cure, but has given me a glimpse of what could be. For those surviving and for those currently infected, there is no hope. It is in future generations, the unborn, that we may find the endurance of man, where disease and human become one, where unity is cemented within, and the world will prosper once again. But the boy must return with me, I must betray Adam, turn against my word. And that, is the dilemma before me today.
“What are we going to do?” Steph asked.
“We must convince him to return with us.” I answered. “And if we can’t?”
I paused for a moment, pondering how to respond, remaining tactful and sensitive.
“He only weighs about fifty pounds, right?”
Steph balked at me for a moment, then noticed the subtle smirk on my face. “Fifty pounds of mass backed with the strength of a twelve hundred pound bull.” She smiled. “You are no Matador.”
* * * * * As Steph continued to go over our research she was interrupted constantly by a pesky yet infatuated Abel. He fought to provide her with anything she may desire; food, cold water from the brook, and even wild flowers. Of course, most women would not considered the pungent aroma of a Stinking Benjamin to be romantic, yet Steph still blushed by his sweetness. I fear her connection to him is not what he has in mind, and the last thing we needed right now was a crushed heart.
When Abel was off to find his next gift for her I advised Steph to play along with his childhood crush. An innocent love
affair could turn the tables into our favor. I could see in her eyes that she was uncomfortable with such heartless actions, but she still agreed, knowing we had no other choice. With a soft, comforting kiss atop her head, I ventured outside to sit and delve back into Adam’s journal. Hoping to completely understand their relationship, aside from just a father and a son, but something I could personally connect to Abel with.
* * * * *
“11th Day, 10th Thunder Moon; The forest can be deceiving, at night as well as during the day. I’ve always tried to burn this into Mia’s head, although it was more for my own comfort than her safety. She was quite aware of Mother Nature’s dangerous façades, but I hoped that just maybe my own concerns engrained in her mind would have improved her outstanding ability to survive. Maybe even my own. No longer do we run about thinking of tomorrow, but instead, we must always think of today.
Now, I try to pass this knowledge down upon my son, the only thing of Mia’s that I have left, the fire in my own heart. Oh how he has grown, from an innocent and fragile newborn, to a walking and talking survivor. Not to mention intelligent, never before have I seen such a young child grasp and absorb everything I’ve taught him, and so quickly. And the things Abel has taught me, even after all these years there is still more to learn, as well as fear.
Aside from the Necrotics, this land is full of perils obscured by nature’s absolute masquerade. From bears to mountain lions, and steep slopes to jagged cliffs, and thorny or razor sharp vegetation to a variety of poisonous flora. The worst of it all, are the shadows, silhouettes of despair that move and stumble amongst other shadows, one never knowing if a wayward Infected walks their way, or just a shrub simply wavering in the night breeze.