DEAD: Reborn

by TW Brown

  “Puff the Magic Dragon,” Aleah said with just a hint of a laugh in her voice.

  Kevin pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Okay, so they were singing some hippie song, big deal. The fact remained that he needed to put eyes on Heather before he would be able to relax or see levity in anything.

  “I say we turn ourselves in and ask to be taken to their leader,” Catie spoke after several seconds of silence started to become uncomfortable.

  “They were so receptive last time,” Kevin grumbled.

  “Then maybe you just let me and Aleah go in. They don’t seem to have done anything terrible with Heather…if we can take anything away from the sounds of singing.”

  Kevin considered the possibility that Heather was not in any danger, but he simply could not convince himself that that could be the case. There was something wrong here…he just knew it. However, he also knew that his best chance might be to stay back and let the women deal with this their way. If nothing else, he would be in reserve. If it came to it, he would come with a vengeance that would justify the fear and distrust the children seemed to hold for him.

  “I am going to give you five minutes,” Kevin finally agreed. “I will count to three hundred alligator. When I hit it, I am coming in, so talk fast and make them understand that I don’t want to hurt anybody…but I will.”

  “Three hundred alligator?” Catie sniffed.

  “Best way to keep me from counting too quick,” Kevin said with a shrug. “You got a better idea?”

  “Yeah…we need to find some watches. There are plenty out there to grab…don’t even need batteries.”

  “And what would we use to set them to the correct time?”

  “Who cares if it is right according to whatever it would have been in the days when we had that sort of luxury? We just decide when the sun is at what would be close to midday and then set all of our watches to noon straight up.”

  Kevin had to admit, that was a pretty good idea. Sometimes he was frustrated at how his mind worked. He was always trying to look at something with such intense analytical ability that he often looked right past the easy and the obvious.

  He agreed and gave Aleah a quick hug. After his third warning of how they needed to be careful and how he would not count one more alligator than the three hundred, the two women finally pulled away and slipped into the darkness. Kevin began to count.

  ***

  “…you really need to get to know him better,” Aleah was whispering as she and Catie moved down the hill and towards the razor-thin outline of light in the stone shed or whatever it was. Catie only grunted noncommittally and continued walking. Her lack of any sort of response kind of annoyed Aleah, so she pressed on. “And you are the one who joined us and asked to come along. I think it is pretty lousy for you to come in to our group and act like anybody needs to change. We have been surviving just fine so far…because of Kevin.”

  “Don’t let your feelings for the man cloud your mind,” Catie whispered. She stopped and turned to face the woman at her side. “I am not saying he has not done some great things…that he hasn’t done what it takes to keep you and the others alive this long. However, he has made some very sketchy choices that have put you in needless danger more than once.” Catie paused for just a moment before adding, “This is a perfect example.”

  “WHA—” Aleah almost yelled, then clamped her mouth shut and tried to speak in a whisper through the rage building inside her. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “Heather knew what she was doing. She made this choice…and Kevin insisted that we go after her in the middle of the night into a situation that, if it turns bad, will cost us all our lives. He says we can’t help everybody and how we can’t do everything, but here we are…in a freaking cemetery, in the dark, about to walk in to the camp of who knows how many kids that just might kill us first and not bother with the questions.”

  Aleah let all those words roll by. She heard what Catie was saying, and she could even admit that there was some merit to what the other woman was pointing out. However, she was missing what Aleah believed was the real key. Yes, they were risking their lives, but it was for one of their own. If you were not willing to put your life on the line for those you claimed to care about…what was the point? She knew without a doubt that she would give up her life to save Kevin if it ever came to it. She had seen, on more than one occasion, him do just exactly that for her.

  They reached the stone building and Catie felt around for a moment. Aleah stood back and kept her eyes open for any sign that there might be sentries posted. She heard Catie make a slight grunting noise behind her, and then heard the distinct sound of stone grinding on stone. That was also the instant that the singing stopped. For a brief few seconds, there was almost perfect silence. Then the sounds of scuffling feet were heard.

  “We are just here looking for our friend,” Aleah called out. She ignored the dirty look that Catie flashed her.

  They were looking down a set of stone steps. The walls were also made of stone and there were torches mounted on them. It made Aleah think of old Dracula movies. That was when realization struck.

  “This is a tomb!” she breathed just as several of the children came into view at the bottom of the steps. Most had weapons in hand, and none looked happy…or at all friendly.

  “You should not have come here.” It was the boy from earlier who had held Kevin, for all intents and purposes, hostage.

  “Our friend disappeared,” Catie said in a very even and measured tone. “We have reason to believe that she came this way. She is only a bit older than you…we are worried about her.”

  “Being out in the dark is a quick way to die,” the boy said, not acknowledging her comment. “Snappers can get you if you aren’t careful.”

  “Snappers?” Aleah asked.

  “Just the heads,” another young boy spoke. “Lots of people were chopping off heads early on thinking that was enough. Those heads are like snapping turtles now. They clamp down and won’t let loose until it thunders.”

  Several heads nodded vigorously. It made Aleah think of the park that she and Heather had crossed.

  “The Bullies use snappers in a lot of their traps,” a girl said. That earned her quite a few dirty looks from the others; including the young boy who was the apparent leader.

  “Bullies?” Catie asked.

  “Group of older kids…mostly boys. They all wear the old Chicago basketball jerseys. Most of them paint their faces in reds and blacks. They steal, they kill, they…” one of the girls in back explained, but her voice broke and she stopped.

  Several of the children around her moved in close to offer consolation. She was ushered away and vanished from view. A few seconds later, Heather’s head popped around the corner,

  “Why are you guys here?” Heather asked as she waded through the group. “I told you that I would be back before noon.” She looked at Catie with a scowl.

  “Kevin was worried about you,” Aleah said. “You had to know that he would come after you if he found you missing. Of all people, you should know that.”

  “Is that man with you?” the leader called.

  There was a visible change in all of the children. The silence of the night fell like a wet blanket over a fire. It seemed to wrap all of the young ones in gloom and shadow as they seemed to bunch in tighter.

  “Can you tell me what you have against Kevin?” Aleah posed the question. “He did nothing to anybody here. Actually, he probably would have done anything he could to help if you’d simply asked.”

  “There were some bad men through here a few months ago,” the leader finally spoke, after looking around the room and seeing a few nods from those that would even meet his gaze. “They…did things. They took some of us. At first we thought it was the Bullies. But we captured one of them and made him answer our questions. He did not know about our friends. But he had seen a group of men sneaking around. Some of us went looking. Fish was our le
ader back then…him and Ginny.”

  At the mention of the name “Ginny”, several of the children had to stifle little cries and sobs. Aleah and Catie both noticed a few of the girls slip away and vanish back into the vault or tomb, or whatever it was that these children had converted into their home.

  “He picked ten of us to go search. We found their camp just this side of Valparaiso. There were thirty or so of them…and the cages. The cages are where they kept…” The young boy’s voice became strangled. He had to take a few deep breaths and hid his face in his hands for a few moments. When he looked back up, tears had smeared the dirt on his face, but his eyes glittered with defiant anger that had wiped out the sadness…or at least replaced it for the time being.

  “Fish told us to stay put. He was going to sneak in at night and try to rescue Ginny. They caught him and all that night we heard him screaming. Eventually it stopped. The next morning, he was hanging upside down from a street light. The men brought out girls from the cages and did terrible things to them right under where he hung. And then they brought out Ginny and…”

  When the boy stopped this time, it was one of the girls who continued the story. “They killed her and just left Fish. By the time that they moved on and we could get down to him…Fish was almost dead. We brought him back, but he did not last the night. He told us that they made him talk and that he was sorry. He said that they knew where we were hiding…so we came here. Nobody likes the graveyards.”

  “And how long ago was that?” Catie asked.

  “About two weeks.”

  “So why would you think Kevin—” Aleah began to ask, but was cut off by the leader who had once again composed himself.

  “Three times we have been attacked while out trying to gather food. The last time…” the boy looked up and his face almost appeared as if it were carved from granite. “The last time, we caught one of the men. We made him talk just like they did to Fish.”

  There was a moment of uncomfortable silence until Heather finally spoke. “If you all just go back in, I’ll be there in a minute. I just need to talk to my friends.”

  “I think it is better for you to just go with them,” the leader spoke.

  “Now, Sean, there is no reason for you to get worried. I just want to let them know I am okay and tell them when I will be returning,” Heather said as she placed her hands on the boy’s shoulders.

  He was just about as tall as she was and looked her in the eyes. “It was nice of you to come back, and you will always be welcome here if you choose. You know where to look for us. Just be careful. We thought that the Bullies were bad…but there is worse.”

  “What if I help you take care of your little problem with whoever these men are?” a voice asked from the dark, causing both Catie and Aleah to jump as Kevin seemed to materialize out of the darkness beside them.

  The rustle of weapons stirring came, but Sean turned and put his hands in the air and patted down in a gesture for them to all relax. He turned back and climbed a few stairs to separate himself from the group.

  “Why would you want to do that?” It was not spoken with malice or anger; it was simply a question.

  “Because,” Kevin stepped into the doorway past Aleah and Catie, “some friends of mine have reminded me that sometimes we need to stop and help those in need. I think about how I would hope there is somebody out there who might have helped my mom and my sister. But how can I hope for what I am not willing to do?”

  “But I cannot let any of my people go out there. For one, they are too afraid, and for another most of them believe that if Fish failed…they do not stand a chance,” Sean said.

  “I would not ask for any of them to come…just you.”

  A murmur went through the crowd that still stood gathered around. A few were trying to clutch at their leader, shaking their heads as they made their feelings known in regards to how they felt about that prospect.

  “I think that Heather can stay here,” Kevin spoke when nobody else seemed inclined. “I will bring Aleah and Catie with me…and you.”

  “Thanks for asking,” Catie grumbled. Kevin spun around but she was smiling. “This is why I hooked up with your group in the first place,” she said with a smile that shone in her eyes. “I was starting to think I had made the wrong decision. I came to be with you guys because I figured that you were out in this hell on earth trying to do something. Hell, the way that Willa talked about you…you practically walked on water. You were risking your life to bring medicine to a sick girl in the dead of winter. You were going to just walk into a city full of zombies without even giving it a second thought.”

  “But I thought that you were pissed because he was supposedly so reckless,” Aleah snapped, turning to face the other woman. “What about how he was putting us in danger with some of his questionable decisions…such as this one?”

  “Absolutely.” Catie gave a curt nod. “But up until this point, all I had seen was him someplace safe while those he travelled with went out into the field. This is what I was waiting for…for him to do something on his own.”

  “Can we debate this later?” Kevin said as he wormed past the two women and down to where Sean stood. “So,” he thrust his hand out to the young man who looked at it tentatively before clasping it, “do we have a deal?”

  Sean seemed reluctant at first, but eventually clasped Kevin’s hand and gave a small nod. All of a sudden, he seemed like a little boy again. Kevin immediately had doubts about including this youngster in the plan, but the die was already cast.

  “So the first thing we need to do is figure out where these animals moved their camp. I need to put eyes on them and see what we are dealing with. Also, I need you to tell me everything that you know or found out when you…questioned your prisoner. I am assuming that he is no longer here…or alive?”

  Sean shook his head.

  Kevin looked around at the dozen or so children that had remained when he appeared—all boys—and saw the same haunted look on their faces. That look was at war with the face they wanted to show; one of bravado and fearlessness. As he looked at them all, he made a vow that he would return these children to their childhood…or the best facsimile he could create.

  “So,” he patted Sean on the shoulder and nodded towards the opening a few feet away that would no doubt lead to a crypt of some sort, “can I come in?”

  Sean looked around, but none of the other children seemed willing to hold his gaze. At last, he looked up at Kevin and nodded. Catie shut the door and was the last in line as the entire group made their way to the place these children called home.

  “Tell me, how did so many kids end up together?” Kevin asked, once he found an open spot on the crowded floor amidst all of the bodies clustered together.

  He did his best to keep from making a face at the smell. The odor reminded him of the worst locker room seeped in Dumpster squeezings. His eyes flitted over the group of children and he was disturbed by what he saw. From the haunted look in their eyes, to the dirt and open sores, these kids would not make it another year in their current situation.

  There was an instant hush that fell over the room. Kevin looked around to discover that not one single child was making eye contact with him. A few had moved away as if that extra few inches of distance could provide some form of separation. Even Sean was looking at his hands and seemed flustered.

  “Anybody?” Kevin prodded.

  “We were in juvie,” Sean admitted.

  “You mean…like jail?” Kevin asked as he scanned the room once more. But these were only children. A few were no more than ten years old!

  “No…not like jail…we were all in detention.” Sean looked up and some of that defiance was creeping back.

  “Whoa!” Kevin put up his hands. “You don’t have anything to worry about with us. What’s done is done.”

  “When the first stories started coming in, nobody believed it,” Sean explained. “We all thought that the guards were just having a go. They like to sc
rew with your head in there.” That statement received a few nods of agreement from the others.

  “One day they told us all to go to our dorm rooms. It was the middle of school time…and they never interrupt school. They will run a drill during a meal, or while we are in bed, but school is sort of off limits. That was the first time we thought it might be something serious.”

  “Tell ‘em about the television,” a voice called, inspiring more feverish nods,

  “One of the guards came in and cut the wire to the cable,” Sean said. “He told everybody that we were to stay in our pods and that not even the orderlies would be allowed out. Our meals would be brought and handed to us. Just before he left, he said that if any of us had belief in God, now would be the time to start praying.

  “That night, a different guard came in with a new cable and turned on the television. He set our sack lunches on the main table and just left. When the television came on, we saw all the people being attacked, the fires burning…and then they showed some stuff from a helicopter over the city of Chicago. The streets were full like it was a parade…but when they zoomed in, it was horrible.

  “That was when Fish started telling everybody to save up anything they could from the sack lunch we were given at dinner. When morning came, nobody showed up. We waited until noon and still nothing. Somebody went to bang on the door to demand our meal and the door opened!”

  Kevin noticed that a few of the children inched closer together and seemed to clutch at each other. He had a feeling that this is really where their story began.

  “Fish and a few of us ventured out. The hallway was lit just like normal, but there was not a sound. Anytime you leave the pod to go someplace like medical or to school, you hear the sounds of guards’ heels on the floor, or those stupid radios going off. That was when I realized that I hadn’t heard one single announcement in the past day or so. You get so that you just tune them out, but all of a sudden, it hit me that we had not heard anything.