Before making it into the building with the rabbits Nef had stopped and looked at the others with fear. Not like he was afraid of them, but for them. He looked like he wanted to start screaming.
“Everything okay?” I had asked.
“Sometimes I have these nightmares. I think I’m moving at lightning speed and then I look around and I’m frozen. There’s always a button or a switch or something and I’m really close to it, but I still can’t reach it.” He reached his hand out as though it were happening. “And the switch, it’s what would save everyone. Everyone who’s being torn apart. It all happens so fast and then it’s raining blood and the switch just goes away. Then I’m all alone.” He sniffed and ran an arm under his nose. “I smell the blood when I wake up. I feel it on my skin. I don’t want anyone to die because of me.”
“Neffery, I don’t think that will happen. A lot of bad things can and will happen. Little to none of them will be your fault. You have to remember that.” I looked at the others chasing the rabbits. “And I think you should be honored to know any of us would die for you without a second thought. Don’t take that away from us.” I ran a hand over his head and moved to help.
Neffery sighed and sped off to wrangle the remaining bunnies. Everyone laughed and rolled their eyes at how easy he made it look. It all seemed so normal. Like we were trapped in a bubble. Content to be separated from the rest of the world and the ugly it had to offer.
Rec scooped Nef up with the last rabbit and praised him. Nef’s curls bouncing freely as he giggled. In moments like those, when a smile comes easy and there’s the sound of laughter like a victory ballad in the air, it’s like nothing bad could touch us. We were invincible in our very mortality. But it’s a long way to fall from the top.
Now it was around eleven A.M. and everyone was on the roof of a building next to the tower. 'Neffery', as he was now called, had gathered everyone after seeing dust in the distance.
Since he was the fastest and could quickest alert everyone, it was his job to watch the perimeter for anything heading our way. With binoculars we could see a vehicle in the distance.
"Think it's hostile?" Rec asked while looking through the scope of his rifle. "I don't see anything that said it's a cannibal vehicle. The sun is casting a glare, I can't see the driver."
"We'll treat it as such." Duncan said, lowering his own binoculars. "Rec, Zoe, Mer, and Bud. Stay up here, get ready stay ready. Everyone else get in the bunker. Be ready to take off." The kids followed his instructions and once they were on the ground Zoe spoke up.
"One of you should go with them." She looked between Duncan and I. "Now that we have the two of you we can better protect everyone when we have to split up." She gestured to the hatchet I kept on my side. "I'd say he should stay here."
"Yeah, you're probably right. You good with that Joe?" Duncan adjusted his hat and looked to me.
"Absolutely. You think that's trouble?" I tilted my head in the direction of the vehicle.
"No. I don't. We'll find out in a few though." He patted me on the back and went down to meet the others at the bunker doors.
"Coach has wicked good intuition." Mer said. "He reads people. Situations. His gut has never steered us wrong. If he doesn't think they're trouble then they aren't." He squatted down next to Rec and raised his binoculars.
"I can see two people. Male in the passenger seat. I still can't see the driver." Rec informed us.
"Should we flag them? Make sure they stop?" Zoe asked me.
Unsure why she was asking me to make the decision I looked to the others. Mer and Rec were studiously watching the vehicle and Bud looked at me expectantly.
"If they get close enough and seem to be passing by, we'll flag them. They could need help or be of help and if we seem too eager they may take off." Seemed reasonable.
"Okay. So we wait." She gave me a satisfied smile and sat next to Rec.
"You have to wonder what they're doing way out here. I mean, two years without issues and those cannibals come along." Bud came up next to me. "Then you, now them. It's like you all got pushed here or something. Why are you all here? In the desert. Last place I would be by choice."
"I came here from Kentucky." I said.
"Yeah? You don't sound American." He said with a chuckle.
"Ah, yes. Came to the states when I was about eighteen. After all this started I found it to be rather difficult to navigate through all of the green on the east side. Surprisingly more populated." I crossed my arms and leaned against an air duct. "Out here being in the open may be a disadvantage, but it can also come in handy." I gestured to the truck.
"So where are you from?" Bud turned his back to the truck and sat on the edge of the building by Zoe, adjusting her quiver to keep from getting jabbed by an arrow.
"South Africa, small village called Clarens. My father came here to teach. I followed in his footsteps, taught until SunDown happened." I moved to seat myself next to him. "It was too easy to come across survivors back there. I can't tell you how many farms I saw fall."
"Farms?"
"Communities." I muttered.
"Ah. Yeah I guess that makes sense. They basically just keep the man eaters fed." Bud glanced at me and smirked.
"Shit." Rec hissed out. "Somebody get Dom." He stood and began to wave his arms.
"What the hell are doing?" Zoe yanked one of his arms down as Bud and I turned to look towards the vehicle. Mer ran down the stairs and towards the bunker.
"The driver has an arrow in her shoulder." Rec said shaking Zoe off.
"So?" Zoe snapped and tried to pull him down again.
"A red arrow!" Rec pulled away and ran down the stairs.
"Oh my God." Zoe glanced at the truck then turned to follow him.
Bud sighed and stood shaking his head.
"A red arrow? What's that mean?" I asked him as I headed towards the stairs.
"The guy that heads operation cannibal? His right hand man uses red arrows. They're loyal to a fault, would never tag one of their own." He said as he followed me down.
I stopped and turned to him. "They could have been followed here."
"Could have been. All I know is that Rec is intent on questioning them."
"About your friend?" I turned to go down the stairs again and began walking quicker towards Zoe and Rec who were waving their arms to flag down the truck.
"Yeah. They might be able to tell us if he's still alive."
"And if he is?"
"Then Rec will go after him." Bud said matter of factly.
"Jesus."
"Yup. He's determined to redeem himself and he'll do just about anything to make it happen."
Rec stood with his rifle back over his shoulder and Zoe just behind him with her bow at the ready. The truck pulled to a stop and the passenger door opened. We all stood tensely as we waited for them to get out.
"Heya guys. Uh, I'm Dexter." A stocky man stepped to the ground and came around the door with his hands up. "We're unarmed." His voice quivered and sweat ran down his dark face.
"We've got a medic on the way out." Rec said and nodded to the driver.
"Thank you. She said she's fine, but our definitions of fine must be different." He shrugged and looked towards the driver.
"Is it just you two?" Zoe asked and lowered her bow slightly.
"Four. Glitch and Bruce are in the back asleep. That's Ria." He slowly lowered his hands. "You guys mind if I wake him up?"
"Go ahead." Zoe slung her bow over her shoulder and started to the driver’s side, but Rec stopped her.
"You're a faster shot." He whispered. Zoe nodded and followed behind him.
"Glitch, get up man!" Dexter rapped on the side of the truck. "We got company!" He rapped again. There was grumbling from inside and someone moving around.
"Why is the woman with an arrow sticking out of her chest driving? You don't know how?" Bud barked.
"We just don't trust him not to screw it up." The mouse like voice of the driver had us all t
urning our heads to her.
Rec had lifted her down from the truck and Zoe was carefully removing the cloth that was wrapped around her wound. She was a petite woman with dark hair pulled into a pony tail. Her olive skin was clammy and her eyes were narrowed in pain.
"Any chance you were followed here?" Bud asked Dexter.
"Doubtful. We were attacked over that way." He threw a finger north, opposite of where they had come. "We took off into the mountains then came out and were doubling back to check for survivors. Then we saw you."
"How far out?" Bud said with a furrowed brow. "We've been here a while and there's no one for miles.
"We were on the move. We were attacked and they killed almost everyone, kept some. We were taken back to their camp in that ridge up there." He pointed and I glanced warily towards the mountain. "We escaped but the body snatchers ambushed us and the nine of us became four."
"Body snatchers? Really?" Rec scoffed.
"They snatch bodies. And eat them. It works." Dexter shrugged.
When I heard the door on the back of the truck open I stepped to the side to keep an eye on the man getting out. His feet hit the ground and he stretched before coming around to meet everyone. He eyeballed Rec who was holding Ria upright.
"Sup. I'm Glitch." His eyes rolled over us quickly and then he looked to Dexter giving a subtle shake of his head. "He's not doing so well, Dex. I don't think we can risk going any further with him."
"That's not good is it? Is he awake?" Just as Dexter asked there was a groan from the back and a thud.
"Whoa! Hey, hey, settle down." Glitch and I moved to the back of the truck where a man had stumbled out and fell down.
He had scratches and bruises all over his face and his dark hair was wild all around his head. His clothes were torn and he looked pale. Glitch knelt down and touched his shoulder trying to calm him down. The man looked scared and confused.
"It is okay, Bruce. We're gonna stop for a bit okay? Can you stand up?" Glitch stood and helped Bruce to his feet. "That's it. Should we check on Ria? Yeah?"
Bruce looked suddenly alert and moved quickly to the front of the truck. Glitch laughed and I trailed them both to the front of the truck. I looked up when I heard Zoe gasp and Rec nearly dropped Ria.
"Thirteen!" Zoe threw her arms around Bruce and began to cry. Rec looked struck.
"You know these guys?" Glitch asked Bruce, looking nervous about Zoe. He took a protective stance behind him and asked again. "You know them buddy?"
"We're his family." Recs voice broke and he passed Ria off to Dexter when he stepped in to help.
I glanced around and didn't see Bud. Zoe was sobbing and looking over Bruce, or Thirteen. Rec approached them and brushed Thirteen's hair out of his eyes. A few tears spilled out of Rec's eyes and Thirteen put his palm against Rec's face covering his eyes. He looked at Zoe and did the same thing to her.
"I'm sorry." Zoe said softly, pulling his hand away. "We were so worried. I know you don't like when we cry." She drew a breath and wiped away her tears.
"What did they do to you?" Rec looked angry and pulled Thirteen in for a tight hug.
"Nothing good." Glitch said from the truck where he stood on the other side of Ria. "He was all cut up when we found him. Ranting about Batman and the wolves. He lost a lot of blood, we had to give him some."
"Give him some?" Zoe looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"I'm O negative. We gave him some of my blood." Glitch fidgeted with the arrow in Ria's shoulder and she smacked him away.
"That could kill him!" Thirteen jumped when Zoe shrieked.
"He was dead without it anyway! I wasn't going to just not try!" I stepped forward when Glitch took a step towards Zoe.
Thirteen hunkered behind Rec and clung to Zoe's arm. I pressed a palm to Glitch's chest and held him back. There was a long pause as everyone gauged the situation.
"Let's all chill the hell out." Ria said.
"Quickly. You're upsetting him." I said giving him a light shove back towards the truck.
After what seemed like an eternity Bud and Mer returned with Dom on their heels. Dom looked agitated and Mer and Bud were laughing. Rec pulled Thirteen out from behind him and whispered in his ear.
"Sorry about that delay." Dom said as he approached. "Damn med supply door wouldn't open. I'm told you got stuck-" He halted when his eyes fell on Thirteen. "Mladshiy brat." He gasped. He dropped his med bag and grabbed Thirteen into a hug.
Mer rushed up to join the bear hug and Bud ran back to the bunker after muttering about grabbing the others. The group talked quietly to each other and hugged out their reunion. Dom kissed Thirteen on the forehead and stepped over to Ria.
"Sorry again." He said and sniffed back tears.
"Hey, it'sokay. Least he’s gotsomebody." She slurred.
Glitch helped hold Ria up while Dom checked her out. Zoe was checking over Thirteen's bumps and bruises while the others spoke with Dexter. He explained how their community had been invaded by the cannibals and everyone but a handful of people had been killed or taken.
They had been taken to the cannibal’s camp in the mountains where they were locked up with Thirteen. They managed to escape and took him with them, but only made it two days before one of their two trucks was blindsided and their friends were slaughtered.
They came down out of the mountains in hopes of returning to their home to salvage anything that was left. They weren't able to keep track of everyone in the chaos of the attack and had a few people that were unaccounted for. Before they made it, they had been flagged down by us.
"Josiah?" Dom pulled me out of the conversation. "Can you hold her shoulder steady so I can cut the arrow and pull it out?"
"Anything to help." I stepped up and shifted her a couple of times before settling on a bear hug from behind.
"Ready, Ria?" Dom asked after cutting the arrow close to her back. "On three. One-" He yanked the arrow out.
She cursed and doubled over for a moment before Dom pulled her up to apply pressure to the wound. Dom wrapped her shoulder up tightly and guided her towards the bunker. The other kids had come out and were huddled around a crying Thirteen. Duncan had introduced himself to Dex and Glitch and was getting the replay of how they'd gotten here.
I joined them and we all started back towards the bunker. There was a loud bang and then the groaning of metal and everyone froze in place. The chain on the door of the shack by the water tower had given out and an aggressive pushed its way through the door and lunged at Glitch.
"SHIT!" Glitch panicked for only a moment before the chain around the aggs’ neck caught and it was yanked back. "Nasty bastard! Sizzle sizzle baby." Glitch laughed and mocked the agg as it burned in the sun.
"That's completely unnecessary." Zoe scolded.
"That's survival kiddo." He said gesturing between the sun and the burning agg.
Zoe put an arrow between the aggs’ eyes with lightning speed. "It's not just about staying alive. It's about staying human."
"What man lets a thing suffer, only to raise himself higher?" I said quietly.
"Exactly." She looked at me appreciatively.
"Hey, I'm just saying. Nothing we can do about having to kill 'em." Glitch puts his hands up in a way of surrender and walked ahead to join his friends.
"Wait." Zoe got a look of realization on her face. "You're Josiah Leighy."
"Uh, I am. Yes." My brows went up and I went back on my heels. "You know of me?"
"I'm surprised Lenny didn't put two and two together. He found part of your book in that lab. He used to quote it constantly until we lost it." She laughed.
"That's something. Can't say I've met anyone who's read it." I rubbed my jaw and she winced.
"It came out that year didn't it? The year this all started?" She asked.
"A month in yeah." I laughed humorlessly.
"Well, Mr. Leighy, get ready to meet your biggest fan."
Never take the small things for granted.
Cha
pter 4
A Cure for the Mumbles
NEVADA JUNE 7TH 2029
Everyone had met up in the mess hall and did introductions. I went into the kitchen to help Boe with lunch. A couple hours later we sat to eat after everything was served. Everyone ate in silence and for a time it was awkward.
Dom and Ria exited the med bay and joined everyone at the table. Dom greeted everyone with a worn expression on his face. Ria was clearly still in pain, but less pale and she was walking taller.
I barely caught Cer giving her a double take and then looking troubled. He looked down at his food with a frown and put his fork down. After a moment he shook his head as if to clear it and resumed eating.
"Well, no one else is gonna say it." Neptune spoke up. "We have to leave."
"And go where?" Mer asked. "We won't all fit in the truck and for all we know they're out there waiting for us to leave."
"All the more reason to get out now. While we have ground between us." Neptune went on. "We wait until they're on top of us and we won't stand a chance. Our escape routes only go a mile out." He put his fork down and kept going. "They're to the northeast, yeah? So they'll come from the west and try to push us into the mountains. That's how I would go about it."
"Our best escape route comes out to the west." Neffery said.
"Yeah, Nef, it does. And the other one takes us too close to the mountains. We have to go south. And we have to go now." Nep looked from him to the others.
"Thirteen can't travel." Rec said with concern. "He's too spooked. We'd risk him having an attack, that can't happen so close to just getting him back from those people."
"Spooky shit." Thirteen said quietly, glancing at me.
"We don't have a choice. Nep's right." Zoe said quietly.
"I'll get a plan together." Tom sighed and stood to clear his tray.
"I don't know about you guys, but I don't plan on going anywhere." Glitch shook his head and took a huge bite of food.
"Not up to us, Dakota." Ria glared at him. "We won't last here on our own and I'm not letting them take us again." She spoke without lifting her head and kept her hair over her face.
"I see seventeen able bodies." Glitch said. "Why not wipe them out?"
Apocalypse Chronicles (Book 1): SunDown, Part 1 Page 5