“Seriously? This again?” She folded her arms across her chest.
“It’s been eight damn years, Auska! EIGHT! You’ve had more than enough time to grieve. Move on and accept this new life as everyone else has,” Kelli barked at her.
“Don’t you dare!” Auska growled, her arms falling to her side defensively, her fist balled up.
“He’s dead.”
Auska took a step back her lips quivering. “Don’t you fucking dare do this, not today!”
“He’s dead, Auska. He died so you could get here, so you would be safe and have a chance at as normal of a life as one can hope for now. And your behavior and attitude are a mockery to the sacrifice he made for you!”
Auska’s eyes widened and burned dangerously with acrimony. Before she knew it, her fist lashed out, connecting with Kelli’s jaw and causing her to stagger backward several paces and into one of the cupboards.
Vincent threw himself between them as Auska advanced for another swing. “Enough!” he yelled, “both of you!” He caught her arm and forced her back a step. “That’s enough, Auska! Violence isn’t always the way!”
Auska snarled, pulled back and left without a word.
Kelli rubbed her jaw. “Damn, she hits a lot harder now than a few years ago. I wonder if I could still take her in a fight.”
“Did you really need to push those buttons tonight?” Vincent scolded. “She’s likely not to talk to us for a month or more now and God only knows what trouble she will get into.”
“She needed to hear it,” she countered. “She’s not a child anymore, Vincent, hasn’t been for a while. She needs to accept reality and learn her place here.”
“I know... but not like that she didn’t. And not today of all days.” He sighed going back to his work. “Definitely not today.”
“Shit, I didn’t even realize that was today.” Kelli slammed her hands down on the counter. “Damn it all to hell, I am such a fucking idiot! I should go after her and apologize.”
Vincent rested his hand on hers. “It’ll have to wait, my dear, we need to get dinner done. Besides, she is going to need time to calm down. Going to her now will only further the fight.”
The target dummy stared at her blankly. It’s non-expressive features almost felt mocking to her; she launched into another series of feints, jabs, and strikes upon its upper body and head. A quick pivot and she dropped down and kicked, slamming into the dummy’s knee and enjoying the cracking sound of the aged wood. Had it been a real leg, it would have snapped the knee, but the wood held, at least for now.
It had been over two hours already since the fight with Kelli and Vincent; she was dripping in sweat, her muscles burned, and her breathing came in labored gasps. The skin on her knuckles had worn through the callouses, leaving light bloody prints every time her fists connected to one of the three targets she was attacking.
But still, her temper had not cooled. So she pushed herself harder, diving into a forward roll and coming up to the next target. Several strikes and kicks and she launched herself at another, repeating her rounds between the three leather-wrapped dummies, always moving, always changing her attack patterns. On so many occasions she had watched others, their repetitiveness, their weakness of being predictable. So, she strived to never repeat her attacks too often, changing her movements, her angles, her strikes.
Auska was about to launch herself at another target when suddenly it moved launching its own surprise attack. She was caught off guard but managed to block the first two punches for her face, but the third slammed into her side. She turned with the hit and swung around kicking low, sweeping the feet from her opponent as they moved in. Before her attacker hit the ground Auska was on them, forearm pressed to their throat.
“You win!” Jennifer croaked out, but still managing to chuckle despite the lack of air. “You win, I said!”
Auska pulled back and wiped the sweat from her eyes. “What the hell were you doing, trying to get yourself hurt?”
Jennifer sat up and rubbed at her neck. “Well, after watching you beat on targets for twenty minutes, I figured you could use a real target to change it up. You know like Tony always says, ‘Be ready for anything. A surprise out there is a death sentence’. Must admit I didn’t expect to end up on my back, given how tired you looked. Guess old Tony’s other favorite saying plays true here too: ‘Never underestimate your opponent or you’ll wind up dead.’”
“Why were you watching me?” Auska stood up apprehensively and after several moments took the outstretched hand of her adversary and helped her to her feet.
“Seen you storm off from the kitchens earlier and then when you didn’t show up for dinner, figured you must have got into a fight with your folks.”
“They’re not my folks,” Auska growled back instantly.
“Right, well those people who you showed up with who have been taking care of you the last eight years then.”
Auska caught the slight smirk Jennifer tried to hide. “They were just people I met along the way.”
“I know the story. So, does everyone else here most likely.”
“So, what do you want? Why are you here?”
Jennifer shrugged and walked over to the doorway to the training room where she had watched Auska’s fighting display. “Thought you might be hungry.” She lifted a tray from the floor and brought it over setting it down on a table. There was a bowl of thin rabbit stew and a thick chunk of flat bread.
Auska hadn’t realized she was still hungry until the smell of food hit her and her stomach growled in response, but she held back from sitting down as she eyed her fellow squad member. “Why would you care? You never have before, nor have I ever given you any reason to.”
“Shit, are you always so suspicious of everyone’s motives?” Jennifer laughed.
“Yes.”
Jennifer looked over her shoulders to make sure no one else was around. “Sit.” She pushed the food tray further towards Auska.
Intrigued now, Auska sat and before she could stop herself, hunger betrayed her as mouthful after mouthful of stew disappeared behind chunks of bread.
“Look, you’re someone who knows her shit out behind these walls.” She licked her lips nervously. “Someone who isn’t afraid to go against the grain of how things are supposed to be done around here. I’m sure you catch my meaning.”
Auska stopped eating. “I don’t like where I think this is heading.”
She looked around again before continuing even quieter this time. “We found something yesterday... something big.”
Pushing the finished tray away, Auska wiped her mouth from the grease of the stew. “Then tell Barry and a plan can be made.”
“We will, of course,” she grinned, “after we take a little peek of our own first. You know, finder’s fee and all.”
Auska folded her arms. “So, you want to be the first there to steal what you want before it gets noted and becomes ‘property’ of our wondrous leaders.”
“Well being honest hasn’t really afforded me much in way of ‘extra’s’, like it seems to have for so many others.” Jen went quiet for a moment, then her eyes changed; grief and sadness were apparent. “The truth is, this isn’t something I want to do, but something I need to do.”
“Need to do?” Auska asked with a raised brow. “Risking life and death, punishment or banishment, there has to be a pretty big ‘need’.”
“My little brother is one of the ones that caught that strange sickness going around. I figure Dr. Brown is likely as corrupt as everyone else here. Maybe if I can get something he needs or wants I can persuade him to give a little extra attention to my brother. You know, pay the ‘hidden’ tax in this place to get what really can be gotten, instead of just what can be spared.”
Auska hadn’t known Jen’s brother had been one of the people quarantined in the last week. Though she doubted she could name a third of them. “What you are proposing is against Sanctuary law, and comes with strict punishment, even banishment if they deem it a g
reat enough offence.” Not that Auska cared, she had broken this very law many times before; so had nearly every scavenger that went out.
“Ah, that is very, very true, but only if we get caught. Which I, of course, have no intention of allowing to happen.”
“Famous last words by anyone who has ever been caught,” Auska said flatly. “Where is this place?”
“Come now, you don’t think I am just going to tell you that do you? So, you can sneak out of here and hit it yourself,” Jennifer answered calmly. “But I will say this: it’s surprisingly not far.”
“And pray tell how you happened to find such a score so close to home when we have searched nearly every inch around Sanctuary for thirty plus miles.”
“To be honest I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like it hasn’t been there long,” the taller girl admitted. “Couple of days at most, but it looked like more was being brought in.”
This really got Auska’s curiosity piqued. Supplies being moved in close to Sanctuary… Could it be a group moving supplies in hopes to buy their way in behind the walls? It had happened several times in the past, but not often. “What all did you see for supplies? Weapons? Food? Gear? What?”
“So, you’re in?” Jennifer asked eagerly.
“What all did you see?”
“Foodstuff mostly it looked like, but there were some guns, likely ammo, propane, clothing, and God knows what else. Most of it was in wooden crates.”
Auska looked at her suspiciously. “Really? You have seen all that? Must have gotten really close.”
“I shit you not, that’s what I saw being moved off the truck.”
“How many men did they have?”
Jen grinned. “I can tell by your tone you want in on this.”
It was true; a score this big, if they could hit it before anyone else knew about it, would set her stash up for a good few years, and with a few new guns and boxes of ammo she might even think about leaving. “I haven’t said yes or no yet. But you have my attention, at least for now, as long as you don’t bullshit me. If it sounds doable, I might be interested.”
“I don’t actually know how many were there, I saw four outside unloading and it looked like another two were inside,” Jennifer confessed. “But once the unloading was done the truck drove off again. So as long as the truck isn’t there, I am thinking two, three, maybe four guards’ tops.”
“A stockpile that big would be guarded by more than that,” Auska muttered, rubbing her chin, running risks in her mind.
“Likely true, if it had seemed like they were at all worried anyone knew they were there.” Jen countered. “They didn’t seem to have a care in the world. No sentries, no one on watch, almost like it was all routine and they’d done it all before. It was really kind of strange, really, but their arrogance can be our reward.”
This surprised Auska even more. She knew what life was like outside and knew supplies like Jennifer was talking about weren’t cheap and weren’t casually moved around without purpose. The more she heard, the more this sounded like something Barry needed to know about and soon. What if it were staging for an attack on Sanctuary? Or one of the many gangs finally deciding on move closer to pick them off when the Divisions went out? “This is sounding like more than a simple score that two people could pull off, and it might even be a serious threat to everyone here. It might be best to tell Barry about this and hope for a reward.”
Jennifer seemed baffled. “Really? This, from you? I thought out of all people you would be the easiest on board for this, and yet here you are sounding more like Barry or Tony rather than the famed badass Auska, the no-fucks-given queen of Sanctuary.”
The words were a slap in Auska’s face and pricked her pride deeply. It truly wasn’t like her to think that the higher-ups ever needed to know anything, let alone something that could be of benefit to her first. “How many others do you have onboard and when are you planning to make the hit?”
Jen slapped the table with an excited laugh. “That’s the Auska I wanted, the Auska I need! I’ve got two others, Matt from the Eighth and Ross from perimeter patrol, that’ll be coming with us, and Nick just so happens to be watching a section of the wall tomorrow night. So long as we give him a small cut, he said he will turn a blind eye to us going over the wall and coming back. All we’ve got to do is make sure we are back before shift change.”
“Do you really think Nick can be trusted?” Auska didn’t like the sound of Nick knowing anything about this. He already had his balls in a twist with her; something like this would be all he needed to really cause her problems.
“Believe it or not, Nick is solid so long as he gets a share. I know you two have something against each other, but I think that’s more to do with his being jealous of you. Or maybe he likes you. Tough to say. But I trust him in this. Plus, if he fucks us over on this, I’ll make sure he gets it just as badly.”
Auska drummed her fingers on the table in thought. She didn’t like the thought of working with so many others. Having to depend on other people to do their part or keep quiet always led to trouble later. But if there was half of what Jennifer claimed there to be then it would be worth the risk and might even be the final piece she needed so she could leave this place. “Fine, I’ll be ready to go tomorrow night.”
The taller girl’s grin lit up her face. “This is going to be a hell of an adventure! With sweet rewards for all!”
“We will see.”
Auska’s mind swarmed with everything she had learned that night. The possibility of acquiring new weapons, ammo and who knew what else filled her with almost childish excitement. Her heart brimmed with the thought that if this went well, come spring maybe she would finally abandon this place and roam the wastelands in solitude like Archer had done. It had been a fantasy of hers for years now, but she just never had enough supplies to make it real.
She had to steady her overworking mind. One step at a time. Who knew how accurate Jennifer had been in her scouting, what actually might be there or how many guns and guards might be protecting it? She would go with them and look; if it looked like something they could handle, fine. If not, they were on their own. Risking her life was only acceptable if the risk was going to be worth it and the odds weren’t impossible.
Stopping at a fork in the hallway, she looked down the right towards the medical center of the large facility and a faster way to the exit that would lead her to her bed. To the left was the longer route, by nearly fifteen minutes. The long day and brutal exercising she had done in anger that evening had her exhausted. She didn’t like the prospect of going near the medical area with so much buzz going around about some sickness that had affected a dozen or so residents, but her legs felt like lead beneath her.
“Worst off, I get sick and die.” She shrugged, deciding to take the risk and turned down the faster route. If she didn’t get enough rest, she might die tomorrow night anyway. Every day was a gamble in this world now; some foolish risks just seemed worth it.
She stalked down the hallways as quickly and as quietly as she could. Though the rooms would be temporally sealed to prevent anything airborne from escaping, it was still a tendency to move hastily through possible danger zones. Nor would it be uncommon for guards to be about, protecting the medical supplies from anyone who might think of stealing them, though things like that were a rare occurrence nowadays. The punishment for stealing medical supplies was death.
Coming to the corner of the hallway that would take her to the side doors leading outside, she overheard voices. Auska stopped; she wasn’t sure why this wasn’t a restricted zone and she wanted nothing more than to get to her bed. But instinct told her not to present herself just yet.
“Is everything ready?” a male voice said in almost a whisper.
“Yes, everything and everyone is set to go.” The voice of a female replied in the same hushed tone and Auska was sure it was Dr. Brown and Nurse Whitney. “I’ve given all the patients a stronger dose, which should keep them sedated
until it’s time.”
“Tomorrow, inform the families that things have gotten worse and that visitations are canceled until a later time.”
“If they ask, should I tell them how bad it’s getting?” Nurse Whitney asked.
Dr. Brown sighed remorsefully. “No, it’s too dangerous. This is already getting harder every time. We can’t risk it, not with winter knocking on our doors. One slip-up and it’ll all go to shit, and we will be at the front of it. It’s not worth the risk. The council can tell them when it is time.”
“Understood, doctor.” She turned to go back into the lab.
“Get some sleep, Whitney. Tomorrow is going to be a long stressful day and I need you a hundred percent for this.”
“I shall, just as soon as I clean up a few more things.”
Auska heard the door to the lab close and the fading footsteps of Dr. Brown. She slipped around the corner and made her way for the side exit. The news she had overheard was devastating. Everyone that was sick was going to die. How could that be? What kind of sickness was this? There had been viruses and illnesses in the past that had claimed several lives from time to time, but always a handful pulled through. And from everything she had heard everyone who had been affected had been under the age of thirty. Surely there were some of them strong enough to pull through?
Opening the side door, she slipped out into the crisp night. The fresh air washed over her and pushed some of the exhaustion away as she made her way home, if one could call it that. Though it could be worse; at least she had a place to call her own, somewhere she could escape people.
A good portion of Sanctuary’s less privileged population resided in several dozen large shipping containers that had been stacked three high to save room within the limited compound. The ‘higher classed’ citizens lived in the apartment buildings and a handful of houses that had been within the compound when the world fell apart.
The old shipping compound and containers had been abandoned when the infection had broken out nearly three decades before. It had been a large riverside shipping port for coal and lumber, though the once mighty river that ran adjacent was now a third of what it once was and would no longer be suitable for the large barges that carried the containers downriver to the towns beyond.
What Remains (Book 2): What's Left Page 3