Alone

by Prunty, Mercedes

  “Might come back one day and it’s not too much info, it’s just human”, he seemed to calm down a little.

  “Is that what you were worried about?” I asked him just to make sure.

  He nodded, “I can’t risk the lives of these people. I will take your word on it but if there are any changes to you or your body I may have to ask you to leave”.

  “You don’t have to worry about me staying, in a few days I’ll be gone”, I said.

  “I know but there is a chance you will come back”, he said.

  “You think so, you don’t think the big guns will kill me or keep me prisoner?” I asked.

  “No you seem far too resourceful for that, plus I don’t expect you to go alone”, he replied.

  “What do you mean? I’m not taking Ollie or Monique with me you said they could stay”, I said to him.

  “No they can stay for as long as they like, I’m going to come with you”, he replied standing up and pushing his chair under the table.

  I couldn’t understand his new sudden need to want to come with me “Er…thanks but no thanks I’m going on my own. Plus I think your sister might kill me if you come with me and don’t come back”, I said.

  “That’s up to me not her and I think under the circumstances she will understand”, he replied, “Look go get some rest we will meet tomorrow at the garage, we will talk come up with a plan”.

  “A plan? What circumstances?” I said.

  He nodded, “Yes a plan, I need to train you up a little to fight against them, I know you agreed to a few days but I really think a week would do you better. This will give you more of a chance against them and don’t bother arguing with me because my people will not open the gate without my say so”.

  Before I could even protest he stood up and quickly left the canteen.

  Great so not only had I unwittingly invited him along for the ride but he had now turned my two days into a week, the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering like mad which only made the bad feeling worse.

  I looked over to where Ollie and Monique were sitting, Ollie smiled at me warmly but Monique looked away. I knew that she didn’t want to lose another friend but she couldn’t run my life for me. I smiled anyway hoping it would try and clear some of the tension but she just stood up and stormed out. I really did have a way with people today!

  I done as he said and headed back to my room to rest not that I could, the thought of being a week or so away from seeing her made my brain flutter with excitement but also panic as I knew I could put up with a few days but a week would feel like another whole year, another whole lifetime. It felt like I had waited my whole life to see her again, I knew that things might have changed between us and well to be honest we probably had both changed as people but that would never change the fact that we were sisters and we were meant to be together. As I tried to drift off I could feel something at the back of my mind niggling at me, something was trying to come out of storage somewhere in my brain, I needed to remember something but whatever it was wasn’t coming out. Deep down I knew what the answer was but I couldn’t quite reach it. Wrapping myself inside the duvet and trying to force sleep upon myself I eventually fell under to the day of when Tanya was taken.

  The next morning I woke up feeling unsettled but I couldn’t fathom out why, as I dressed and tidied my hair I tried to work out what it was but it still wouldn’t come out, I could feel it blurred at the tip of my tongue. Grabbing my rifle I headed out to the garage where I knew Callum would be waiting for me, I walked past a few of the housing blocks, people milled about doing their own thing, I spotted Ollie and Monique both of them were helping out with some of the chores, some young girls about mine and Monique’s age were all chatting and gossiping and I watched as she joined in with them. She was so much better than me at making friends, I watched as she had this natural air about her she just laughed and giggled. At least I knew she would be ok here and she needed friends, she had said as much. Walking on I waved to Ollie as he waved to me before I rounded a corner to reach the garage I could hear shouting, walking in slowly I could tell it was Callum and Amanda and it was over me as I could hear my name being screeched in pure fury.

  “Why? Why should you…She comes here demanding supplies and for us to just let her leave when we risked our lives to rescue her and her friends. She should stay put and muck in, help keep the camp safe instead of going off on her own stupid little agenda”, Amanda cried at him, I heard a smash as something must have been thrown.

  I stood out of sight behind the big truck, “Look she didn’t asked to be saved, they were on their way there anyway and who are we to stop her going, if it was you, you know damn right I would be hot on your tail to find you!”

  “Maybe but we know what they are capable of, we can’t lead her there like a lamb to the slaughter”, she snapped.

  “Yes that’s why I want to go with her and make sure she stays safe and that she has a fighting chance”, he replied snapping back.

  “Will she want you with her when she finds out who you really are?” she retorted to him.

  “She doesn’t have to know, anyhow if I help her doesn’t it cancel it out?” he said calmly.

  She laughed but it was a sarcastic one, “Oh Callum how does it cancel THAT out?” she emphasised the word ‘that’.

  “I just thought if I helped her it would make up for all what happened, you know?” he replied sounding beaten down.

  “Yes I know what you mean but if she ever finds out she might want revenge she won’t see that you are trying to help because of what you done in the past. Just because you’ve turned over a new leaf in life doesn’t mean she won’t be heartbroken enough to hurt you in return. You cannot erase the fact that you helped destroy her family, you helped them take her sister so you are to blame”, she said harshly.

  “You’re not just a completely innocent party in all of this either Amanda, we all know that you helped in the background if she found out it wouldn’t be just me she would be after”, he hissed back at his sister.

  “Yeah, Yeah, I know what I’ve done and I’ll admit it but you try to hide it all the time, you seem to think that if you become the saviour of all the misfortunate people we come across you will be cleansed of your sins. Well I got news for you big bro it doesn’t work that way”.

  “Maybe it doesn’t but I have to help her you just don’t understand! I need to help her to know that she will be safe I can’t send her in there alone with those feral bastards, they’ll kill her or worse and you know that!” he slurred in his velvet accent.

  “Of course I know that more than anyone but you can’t erase what happened! To be honest bro I think even though you offered your help she won’t take it, she seems to be the type that’s too independent, a loner, maybe even a freak of sorts she just gives off this vibe that she doesn’t need anyone to help her. Plus I don’t want to lose you”.

  “You won’t lose me, I know what I’m doing sis”, he sighed.

  “Do you? If you knew what you were doing you wouldn’t even have offered to go with her. Its suicide”, she sniped.

  “And it’s my choice”.

  “Can’t you just let her go? Make her leave with no supplies we need them more than she does we have others depending on us, she doesn’t. Make out it’s the whole crazy impregnating doctor thing she won’t question it she will just leave!” Her voice held no remorse as she tried to make her brother sell me out to the bad guys.

  “Why do you have such a problem with her? She only just arrived yesterday and you get on well with her friend”, he asked her.

  “I don’t like the feelings she’s making you feel, like you owe her”, she replied.

  “But I do owe her, I helped them take her sister away I helped them kill her dad! I owe her big time!” he spat.

  I felt it hit me like a slamming door right in my face, it was weird hearing it from her mouth but to then hear it from his own hit me to the core. The room around me blurred in slow motion as
I watched Linda’s head being blown apart by the first armed bloke shooting her and then coming in to shoot the rest of us. Shards of glass, splinters of wood glittered around me, moving so slow I could pick them out the space they floated in, turning I watched as my dad, Arnold and Terrance took defence and started shooting back at the intruders, one took a bullet and crumpled to the ground but then two more showed up taking his place. One was smothered with tattoos and had long brown dreadlocks which had been tied up with a rag, his clothes were torn and covered in dried blood but I could see he was the leader of the pack as he barked orders to another bloke who came in after him. The blokes face was looking around at the once peaceful family home, his dark eyes glanced over at me and Tanya but I hadn’t noticed before how he looked gutted and guilty that this was happening but he still took aim at the others, he helped take down Terrance, as his friend blasted the bullet into my dad. Tanya then took hold of me trying to drag me up the stairs as I called out for my lone parent, how could this be happening, why? Why would they attack perfectly innocent people and kill them? Suddenly the splinters and shards sped up and I came back into the garage, he had helped them take Tanya, he had helped them kill my dad, he had helped them kill our friends, he had been one of them!

  I felt the rage and fury that I had been holding in for the big guns ripple underneath my skin, like a hot heat of anger ready to explode. Lifting my rifle up I charged further into the garage feeling the pure hatred that had been pent up for so many long months towards the bastards that took her from me, Callum turned to look at me, he spoke some words but they didn’t register in my mind at all, all I could hear was the white noise of my anger hissing wildly in my ears. Stopping where I stood I aimed at him my finger on the trigger ready to plummet a bullet in his chest for taking those precious people away from me, my finger tightened, about to pull it…….When darkness took me over.

  ~

  Monique watched as they hauled Stacie’s unconscious body out of the garage, she had heard the shouting and screaming then silence before Callum came out carrying Stacie like a child and took her away to what had been set up as a small medical centre. It was just a large shed with some medicine cabinets full of medicines that the campers had found whilst out on their scavenging missions along with a side room and a hospital like bed to monitor poorly patients.

  Monique stopped helping with the chores quickly saying to Ollie she would be back in a second and marched over to the centre. She opened the door and came face to face with Callum, his large muscular arms where folded over his chest in anticipation as a woman tended to Stacie who had been laid down on a couch with a cut to her head.

  “What happened to her?” Monique questioned Callum.

  “She fell, we were training her up to go fight the big guns”, he said but it didn’t sound like the truth his voice held a hint of distrust to it.

  “I’m not stupid, what happened?” She asked again.

  He snapped back getting into her face, “Look she fell she’ll be fine, now if you don’t mind I think you should go and leave the nurse to tend to her”.

  Monique couldn’t really argue with him seen as he would probably get her thrown out if she pestered him too much, so with her tail in between her legs she stood back and let the nurse get on but she didn’t leave.

  The nurse came out about ten minutes later, “She might have a concussion but I can’t tell till she wakes up, she also had a few other wounds that I’ve wrapped up. She had what looked like a flesh bullet wound but just a scratch”.

  Callum nodded, “Thank you Sarah”.

  “Will she be ok?” Monique asked.

  “She should be fine”, Sarah said but she gave a questioning look to Callum for the head wound but didn’t say anything, “I will need some more medicines soon though Callum, we are really running low on supplies if anyone else gets hurt or needs medical attention I might not be able to treat them, especially if we need antibiotics as we don’t have any left”.

  “I know but we have already searched all the local pharmacies and surgeries. Without going to a big hospital I don’t think we can find any and I don’t feel ready to risk a hospital run especially after what Stacie told me about the one in Brighton”, he said.

  “What about the doctors and the pharmacy down by the sea road?” She asked him.

  “Last time we looked it was on fire and completely over run. I know I can handle a lot of them but I can’t put other people in that position. I need to stay with Stacie for when she wakes up”, he said.

  “Well what about Amanda she can certainly hold her own, it’s not just medicine we are low on. We need some more clothes for the children, toiletries and other essentials”, Sarah said pushing, “You know I wouldn’t ask but we are really low”.

  He nodded, “Fine I’ll talk to Amanda and set up and party to go out”. Standing up he then turned to Monique, “Why don’t you join Amanda to go out, be good to see how well you can hold your own, the more hands we have the more supplies we can get”.

  Monique didn’t want to go out, she didn’t want to leave Stacie alone with him but if he wanted to force her out he could then were would herself, Ollie and Stacie be? The vibe she was getting was it had something to do with him getting her hurt and what if he only wanted her to go out so they can get rid of her. They could be like those groups of people that kill the ones they don’t like? She couldn’t let him make her go, she had to stay with Stacie make sure she stayed safe.

  “I’d rather stay here for now”, she replied, “She is my friend”.

  “I know but she is resting now, by the time you come back she should be waking up. I really want you to go, we risked our lives to saves yours so now you should return the favour”, he said.

  “What? I don’t think so you might have helped us but she is my friend I have a right to know what is going on and to be here when she wakes up”.

  “If you don’t go willingly I will make Amanda drag you kicking and screaming, Stacie is fine and I’m telling you it was an accident. What thrill would I get for helping you all just to then hurt or kill you? We need help getting supplies and Stacie is still asleep, by the time you get back she will probably be awake”.

  He made her feel like she had to, she wanted to smack him in the face and tell him where to shove it but by the sounds of things if he wanted he could turn nasty.

  “Fine but I want to see her the minute I’m back”, she ordered.

  “Yeah whatever just make sure you pull your weight”, he said, “I don’t want someone having to risk their life again because you didn’t think”.

  “Hey wait, yeah you might have helped me out but it wasn’t just me it was Ollie and Stacie you saved too. I don’t see you hassling her to go out on runs instead you’re supposedly helping her train to go against the big guns”, she said to him.

  “I have my reasons for helping her”, he said before skulking off to find his sister.

  Monique followed him to the garage where Amanda was helping Gavin to fix up another car they had, “Hey how is she?” Gavin asked sounding really concerned.

  “She’ll be fine it was just an accident”, he replied.

  Gavin nodded and turned back to the car, whilst Amanda stood up knowing Callum wanted her for some reason or another. Callum left Monique standing with Gavin and walked off to talk to his sister, Monique watched as Amanda agreed to go out but demanded she have the truck to go on the supply run with. He agreed and said she needed two others to go with her for safety and to haul as much back as possible. She turned and vanished out into the camp before returning with two young men, one was an Asian man with short hair and a scar down one cheek, the other was a white male with long mousey hair tied into a ponytail. They both held handguns and looked ready for action, Monique felt for her gun and felt better that she had it in case she had to defend herself in more ways than one.

  Amanda ushered them into a circle and handed them each an empty rucksack, “Right people thank you for volunteering. We need m
edical supplies as well as toiletries and any food you can get hold of. The place we are going looked to be on fire the last time we saw it but with the past storms over the last few weeks it should be out by now. But be alert this place did look to be overrun last time but they could have moved on since then so keep a look out and your eyes open we don’t want to lose anyone today. You got that newbie?” she said the last part to Monique.

  She nodded in reply to her, she didn’t like this Amanda girl very much but she was in charge so she had to grin and bear it. They each loaded up with some ammunition but were told to only use it if needed, which she knew she would be ok at seen as all she had used for a year and a half was her blade.

  Ten minutes later they were all holed up in the truck and driving out the gate, she spotted Ollie who waved a sad wave, he mouthed to her to ‘come back’ she nodded and waved back. She would come back for them both, there was no way no creature or human was going to stop her.

  The drive took about thirty minutes as they had to detour round a few torn down buildings, by the time they pulled up outside of the old burnt down doctor’s surgery and pharmacy the thrum of the diesel engine had settled into her bones. Amanda killed the engine and set about barking orders, “Monique you’re with me we’re going into the surgery. Greg and Lee you two check out the pharmacy”.

  The two guys didn’t batter an eyelid and just waltzed off to their part of the search, Amanda headed to the front door and motioned for Monique to follow. She followed and raised her blade ready taking a quick look around the place, the fire had been brutal melting and crisping up the whole of one side of the surgery. Most of the roof had collapsed in leaving gaping holes in the framework of the building, a lot of the windows were smogged up with the soot and ash from the once blazing fire meaning they couldn’t peer in to see how dangerous it was inside. The brickwork was not so damaged and still looked sturdy and intact other than a few acid rain marks, however none of this gave her an impression on how the inside might be for all they knew the floor boards had all burnt and withered away. Amanda counted to three before opening the door wide open, Monique looked in with her blade first but couldn’t see anything dangerous.