by SD Tanner
Between mouthfuls of bread and soup, she said, “We got caught in Richmond. With me being so pregnant, Don didn’t want me out and about, but we were planning to join another survivalist group. They had a medic, and what with the baby nearly due and running out of supplies, it made sense to move. We were on Route 25 when a truck came up behind us and rammed us off the road. Don and his brother were armed, but once they had us off the road, they shot the truck up pretty bad. There were five of us in the truck, but they unleashed so much firepower at us we had to run from the truck, and then it was easy to catch us. I mean, I can’t run. Look at me.”
Lapsing into silence, and still chewing on her bread, Ant seemed to drift off, and she stared absentmindedly into space.
Not wanting to push her, but needing to hear the rest of her story, he asked gently, “What happened then?”
Putting her spoon down, and pushing the table away, she said, “They were all wearing black, sort of like a uniform, except it wasn’t a uniform. They pushed us into the truck, and there were like twenty other people in there, but I couldn’t see much. Once they closed the door it was pitch black. There were kiddies in there too. When the truck stopped, we were in some kind of camp, except it wasn’t a proper camp. You know, not like this one. That place was filthy and it stank, the people looked really bad.”
Ant leaned back against the bed, and looking up at the ceiling, she began to speak as if he wasn’t there.
“They pushed me into one group and Don into another. I don’t know why they separated us. His group had women in it, but I was put in the group with the kiddies. Maybe ‘cos I’m pregnant. I spent the first night in a big dormitory with the kids. There were hunters everywhere and there was no way to leave, so I guess everyone just did as they were told. The next day they said I could walk around and they fed me and showed me where the toilets and showers were. They said everyone else ate in the cafeteria or their barracks, but I was to stay with the kids. I didn’t see any other pregnant women there, so I dunno if that was normal or not. I didn’t do anything that day, just looked around. The kids were quiet, and mostly stayed in the dorm. They were pretty scared. That night a man turned up, and everyone seemed terrified of him. He didn’t look like much to me, but he was the boss, you could tell. One of the guards came and got me and I was told to follow him. He led me outside to an area where a group of people were. They were all young and looked healthy, but they had funny eyes.”
“Were their eyes blue on blue?”
Without looking at him, she nodded. “Yeah, they seemed really curious about me, and one of them said they wanted to know what it was like to be pregnant. He asked the boss man what would happen to the baby if they took me, but I dunno what he meant. I think they were going to do something to me, but the boss guy told them it was time to play and they all left with him.”
She was starting to tremble again, but continued. “That night there was a terrible noise, people were crying and howling, and the smell was unbelievable. The men in black were drinking a lot, and they weren’t paying much attention to the dorm, so I snuck out. I dunno what I was thinking of doing, but I wanted to get out of that dorm. When I got outside there was no one around. All I could hear was screaming and there was smoke. I wanted to get away, so I started walking away from the noise. I didn’t get far. There were hunters in the forests, and I ended up hiding in a building about five hundred yards up the road. I stayed there awhile, probably a few hours, but it was still dark and I thought I’d better go back to the dorm. I couldn’t get past the hunters in the forest to escape, and I didn’t want to get caught being out of the dorm.”
She paused and took a sip of her coffee. “I went back down the road and I was going to sneak back into the dorm, when I saw a pickup truck and it was full of something that stank. I dunno why I did it, but I climbed into the back of the truck and I buried myself under the stinking mess. It was horrible and it smelt like something had died. I dunno how long I was there, but eventually I heard someone say they were going to take the truck to the dumpsite. Then I felt stuff being thrown into the truck, and I was scared because I was so buried under the pile of stuff in there I wasn’t sure I could move anymore. And the stuff they threw in felt slimy and warm, but it was dark and I couldn’t work out what it was.”
Hesitating and almost disappearing into herself, Ant stopped talking. He felt bad for her having to relive an ordeal that cost her everyone in her life.
“Anyway, I felt the truck move and it bumped along for quite a while and then it stopped. I couldn’t move under the weight of the stuff in there, and I could barely breathe, not that I wanted to ‘cos it stank, and now it was cold and slimy. Then I felt the stuff being pulled from the truck, and eventually I could open my eyes and see again. The stuff I was lying in was red and black and that’s when I saw what it was.”
She shuddered at the memory. “It was bones and skulls, but it was like the flesh was torn off and there were bits of skin and meat left on them. Some of it looked like it was half cooked. When I peered over the edge of the truck, I saw there was a pile of bones and stuff next to the truck. There were hunters picking at the bones and two guys dressed in plastic suits. I figured they were the guys unloading the truck. I waited for a bit until the guys disappeared around a ridge, and I slid out of the truck real quiet and somehow managed to get away. It was daylight by then and once I was out of their sight I ran. I mean, I really ran, and I just kept running until your people found me.”
Having told her story, Ant suddenly looked as exhausted as he thought she must be. Gently, he asked, “Do you know what happened to the others?”
She turned her head to face him, and in an expressionless voice, she said, “No, but I’m going to assume they’re dead. It’s easier for me that way.” Rubbing her belly protectively, she added, “I have to survive, the baby needs me. Don wouldn’t want it any other way. This baby was our first, and he was so proud. Even with all the trouble that’s happened, he was real proud to be a dad.”
Ant’s voice was starting to break, and he didn’t want to put her under any further stress. Patting her hand protectively, he said, “You should get some sleep. You’ll be safe here and I’ll come and check on you later.”
Signaling to Doc, they walked out of the room and into the main reception area.
“Whatdaya think?”
Doc was over seventy and had been a General Practitioner for forty years. While wiping his wire-rimmed glasses, he said, “It’s not good. She was hiding in rotting body parts. She’s in shock, and then she ran for Lord knows how long to escape.”
Watching Doc settle his glasses back on his nose, he asked, “What do we need to do?”
Looking genuinely worried, Doc replied, “I’d move her to the CDC where they have better facilities, but I’m worried it might distress her more. It’s better to wait. We’ll keep her quiet and comfortable, and see if her body can ride it out.”
Nodding, he walked out of the medical center and towards the living area where he met his two main guys, Jackson and Kent. They sat down at a picnic table, and after telling them Ant’s story, he said, “We need to talk to Gears. That refugee camp has to go.”
Jackson, who was heavily tattooed with piercings and a shaved head, replied grimly, “That’s no refugee camp. That place is a fucking nightmare on earth.”
“Do you think we should mount an attack?” Kent asked. “There’s survivors there. We can’t just go in and blow the place to hell.”
He shook his head and said grimly, “I think the place is already hell, and it’s only three hundred miles from here. We can’t have a place like that so close to our base.”
Worry nagged at him. Ant’s story confirmed every rumor they’d heard about the camp. He had eight thousand people at Lake Lanier, and the idea there was a place like the camp almost on his doorstep made him anxious for every single one of them.
He’d been a simple man before the virus hit. Working as a motorcycle mechanic, he ran a club th
at met once a month and his main role was organizing ride-outs and charity events. When the outbreak happened he was in his workshop listening to music and repairing an old Shovelhead. The first he’d known about the virus was when he heard the roar of thirty Harley’s pulling onto his lawn and driveway. Walking outside, he saw half his regular club members on their motorcycles, loaded with pillions, packs, and a lot of guns. As their club leader, they’d automatically looked to him for answers, and to be fair to himself, he’d managed to keep most of them alive since.
His wife, Nancy, was visiting family in Cleveland when the outbreak happened. It was because of her he stayed in their local area for so long. He hoped she might make her way back, but after six months she’d never showed up, and he assumed she was dead or worse. Since setting up his base in Lake Lanier, he’d never thought about her much, it still upset him to know he’d failed her. Being a practical woman, she would have told him that life was for the living, but listening to Ant and watching her face that was so similar to Nancy’s, opened a wound that had never properly healed.
Sighing, he said, “It’s got go. Simple as that. We’ve got eight thousand people here and I can’t have that hell on our doorstep. I mean, how long will it be before the men in black come here?”
Jackson gave him a grim look. “It’s not like we can’t defend ourselves, Wolfie. We ain’t weak.”
“I know that, but they have super hunters and hunters. As Gears would say, it changes the dynamic for the worse.”
“But we’re on islands. I don’t see how the hunters can even reach us.”
Kent nodded. “I don’t think we should do anything without Gears and his people. They’re soldiers and they know how to attack a place like that. Plus they’ve got the airpower and the heavy weapons. I think we need to sit tight and wait.”
Jackson scratched his shaved head with fingernails that were encrusted with motor oil. “When’s Gears back from the UK?”
“Not for a few weeks yet, but Pax is still here. Maybe I’ll have a chat with him on the radio.”
“That’s a good idea. Let him know what we’ve heard and see what he says. You know what Pax is like. He never ducks a fight, and if he thinks it’s okay to wait for Gears, then it probably is.”
Jackson was right and it was good advice. Many days he felt ill-equipped to have the role he’d been given. Never an arrogant man, the weight of so many lives on his shoulders was more than he thought he was meant to carry. Nodding at Jackson and Kent, he decided he might spend a little more time with Ant. Something about her really tripped his empathy chip and he felt the need to protect her. Perhaps it was her resemblance to Nancy and the fact he hadn’t been able to help his wife. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t do Ant any harm to have a little extra care and it might do him good to be able to help her.
“It’ll be okay, Wolfie,” Kent said confidently. “We’ve got this far. We won’t let some asshole like Ruler takes us out.”
“Nope,” Jackson agreed firmly. “I’d rather die than let that prick win.”
CHAPTER EIGHT: Heaven gets another angel (Nelson)
It was hot and sweat was trickling down the middle of his back and soaking unpleasantly into the waistband of his ACU pants. Despite living in Texas all of his life he’d never enjoyed the heat, and right now he missed air-conditioning more than he missed food. Pulling an already damp cotton cloth from his trouser pocket, he once again wiped his face and shoved the damp cloth back into his pocket. He was standing next to a ploughed field watching people busily planting basic, but fast-growing vegetables. Fortunately the island had plenty of fresh water and they’d managed to install simple irrigation. Had it been another time, he would have felt blessed to be standing on this idyllic island that was undoubtedly one of God’s most beautiful creations, but he was worried.
As usual Isaac was at his side. Having adopted him almost a year earlier, the young man had become like a son to him. He and Nora were married for twenty-five years, but God had never granted them a child. Over the years he’d set aside his hope of being a father and poured his paternal instinct into his Parish. It made him an excellent preacher and his congregation benefited from the time he had to spend with them, but Isaac’s vulnerability tapped in on his deep desire to have a child. He’d adopted him as his own from the moment he met him. The longer they’d remained together, the more deeply attached he’d grown, and in his heart and mind, Isaac was truly his son.
Turning to Isaac, he said, “We can’t grow food fast enough. We have so many mouths to feed. In the Bible, Jesus fed thousands with a single loaf of bread and a basket of fish.”
“How did he do that?”
“With the help of God, Isaac, and that’s what we’re going to need now, or the people that are left will also die.”
Looking somber, Isaac replied sadly, “Too many people have died.”
“Yes, they have, little man.”
His faith had been sorely tested in the past year. Before the virus destroyed mankind and left the remnants of man scattered and tattered, he believed God would always reign and the forces of evil could never win, but nowadays he wasn’t so sure. When he thought back to his days in the pulpit, so confident in God, so assured all was as it should be, he wondered what other poor advice he’d handed out. His father was a preacher and his father before him. Being raised in a strong religious household, he believed in God and had never questioned that belief, but like many around him he now felt abandoned.
Since Ruler’s attack on the bases, nothing felt the same. Gears was not his usual aggressive self. They’d barely spoken and that bothered him. In the short time he’d known Gears, the two men had felt an instant and mutual trust that led him to confide in him and trust his advice. Many times he was told he was an inspiration to others, but before meeting Gears he’d never felt inspired by anyone other than his own father. Gears was the only other man he looked up to. From the moment he heard his deep, growling voice over the radio he knew he could rely on him.
Despite his refusal to pray, and his denial of God, he believed Gears had the deepest faith he’d ever encountered. His commitment to mankind and their right to survive was unwavering. His audacity and tenacity impressed him, and other than his father and God, he was the only man he would follow to the end of time. Now he felt Gears had lost his seemingly infinite capacity to rise to any challenge. It was as if all the puff had been punched out of him and he was going through the motions. These days he seemed to lack the effortless energy of a true believer. What frightened him most, was the recognition that few men could lead them through this war with the Devil. If not Gears then who would take his place? Who could inspire enough hope to lead them to safety?
I’m being tested, he thought, and I cannot fail, but some days are harder than others. Before he left for the UK, Gears asked him to take care of the islands while he was away. Never willing to let the man down, he faithfully maintained contact with both islands and was splitting his time between the two. Both islands were now heavily farming the land. People devoted to supplying food to those on the mainland lovingly tended the crops and livestock. Everyone on the islands knew if it weren’t for their scavengers and fighters many of them would be dead. Few people were foolish enough to take their lives for granted anymore, and they’d learned to be genuinely grateful to the people who kept them alive.
The newest arrivals told terrifying tales of being hunted by humans and many people being kidnapped, never to be seen again. He remembered being told about Nazi Germany and the midnight raids, where innocent people were dragged away in the night and sent to extermination camps. A true evil had reigned then and he believed the same evil was in the world again. The only difference was this evil was the Devil himself, and not merely his messenger on earth. It was an evil that needed to be stamped out, destroyed for all eternity, but he feared Gears and his brothers were only men and no match for the Devil. It would take a fanatical leader to destroy the Devil, and where he once believed Gears could be tha
t man, he continued to worry about the man he was becoming.
The islands were forging ahead and working hard to do what they could for their fellow survivors, but it was a losing argument and he knew it. There was no way they could produce enough food for the ninety thousand people in their community. More people were flooding in daily, travelling vast distances, and losing many along the way just for the chance that a few might make it to their sanctuary. Looking across the island, people were working hard in the heat. Rows of pickers were stooping low and digging turnips and radishes from the ground. With their sharp knives, they were deftly slicing through plump stalks, and adding the vegetables to barrows next to them. It was back breaking work, but they would harvest thousands of vegetables and pack them for transport to the mainland. It’s impossible, he thought, with over ninety thousand people needing food, this was barely enough for a few days.
Sighing, he remembered where he was going that afternoon. At the top of an incline that overlooked the island and the sea, was a graveyard. Originally it only held the graves of the combat shooters who died claiming the island from the hunters, but over the past four months, as people died of disease, injuries and childbirth, the number of graves was growing. The night before, a young mother was lost giving birth to a baby girl. For now, the baby survived, but it was a breach birth and the young woman hemorrhaged to death. On the island, for the sake of health and heart, they buried their dead quickly. Nobody wanted to keep a body around for long, and every death reminded people of their own losses since the outbreak.