by Laurèn Lee
Mason cut the man’s throat, and he fell to his knees, laughing hysterically. Lexa would never forget seeing the light disappear from the man’s eyes. She’d never be able to remove the memory of watching her father murder another human being. Of course, he did so to protect his family, but all the same, the memory rooted itself in Lexa’s mind like a tick nuzzling into its prey.
Another day, Ivie would not stop crying no matter how much Xenabelle rocked her or sang to her in a lovely hushed tone. Even Lexa tried to calm her baby sister down, but to no avail. Their mother swore she shouldn’t be hungry, she’d been changed, and she had an adequate amount of sleep the previous night.
Ivie’s shrieking cries pierced the empty city they ventured through, and the echoes only heightened the intensity of her tantrum. Their parents feared the crying would draw unwanted attention to them. Maybe a gang or a predator would hear and hunt them down. No good could come from the crying—until it did.
A couple in their mid-sixties heard the cries of baby Ivie and beckoned to the family from inside an empty boutique. They’d been camping out in the old shoe store for over a month. They heard the baby’s cries and knew someone had to be in trouble. They also knew if the baby was in trouble, they could risk being found out as well.
Harry and Kiki welcomed the family into the boutique and provided them with shelter, clean water and even shared what little food they had left. At first, Mason was hesitant to trust the couple, but it didn’t take long for him to shed his walls and trust them as though they were his own parents. Kiki tried to calm Ivie down, and as soon as she took hold of the baby, Ivie’s cries stopped, and she giggled in the older woman’s embrace. Xenabelle cried tears of pure joy at seeing her baby happy and knowing her tantrum was over.
Harry and Kiki proposed they all stick together going forward, but they couldn’t stay in the shop much longer. More and more gangs passed through the area, and some looted even the most abandoned stores, believing there must be something of value left behind. One time, they were almost discovered. They’d been hiding in a former department store, which once held racks and racks of clothing. Harry and Kiki made their camp inside a back room of the store, using ratty coats as bedding.
That night, a rattling at the front door awoke the couple, and Harry quietly rose from their makeshift bed to lock the door from the inside. They heard loud voices and jeers from outside their door, and one person came pounding. They didn’t know Harry and Kiki were inside, but they could have thought something of value was kept within. After a half hour of the gang trying and failing to open their door, Harry and Kiki narrowly avoided mutual heart attacks. After the gang left the store, Harry and Kiki figured it was time to pack up and leave, as they’d been doing for years.
They invited Mason, Xenabelle, Ivie and Lexa to join them in the hunt for a new shelter. The family gratefully obliged, figuring there was strength in numbers.
After a few weeks of hiking through mountainous terrain, swimming through lakes filled with oversized snakes, they stumbled upon a forest with overgrown grass and a stream running through it. Mason and Harry explored the territory thoroughly before they gave the thumbs up to set up camp.
Settling near a stream was absolutely key. They each had their own water filtering system. It was a rather small contraption, but all they needed to do was place the solar-powered device in the water source, and it would spin until all the contaminants pooled at the top. Then, someone needed to very carefully skim the top of the water and dispose of the pollutants.
When Lexa was very young, she asked her parents about what happened to the world and why the water became “yucky,” as she put it.
Her father answered, “Well, sweetheart, a long time ago, the government created a vaccine to reduce the risk of cancer.”
“What’s cancer?” Lexa asked, intrigued.
“It was one of the most deadly diseases in our history. It killed millions by mutating a person’s cells.”
Lexa shivered. “That sounds scary, Daddy.”
“It was, babe. So, to protect the people, the government disseminated the vaccine in the water supply. That way, everyone would have access to it.”
Lexa climbed onto her father’s lap and curled up against him. “Did they tell people they were doing this?”
Mason chuckled. “No, they did not. They didn’t want people to know or ask questions, or even have an opportunity to protest the forced contact with the vaccine.”
Mason twirled Lexa’s hair, a routine he’d carried out every night since Lexa was a baby. When she was only a few months old, she suddenly stopped sleeping. She’d be up all night staring at the stars or eating her fingers. One night, Mason started twirling Lexa’s hair, mostly out of boredom while he waited for her eyes to shut. After a few seconds of playing with her hair, Lexa started snoring, which startled Mason. He inadvertently discovered the cure to his daughter’s restless nights.
“Unfortunately, something went very wrong, and the vaccine morphed into a killing agent instead of protecting the people from disease. But it took dozens of years for the agent in the water to affect those who drank it. Once the contaminated water evaporated into the sky, then returned to Earth as rainwater, it was too late to stop the agent. It grew stronger and stronger. It took a while, though, for the effects to show up. But, once the effects appeared, they hit people harder and faster than ever before.”
Little tears welled up in Lexa’s eyes. “I’m glad we weren’t alive then.”
Now isn’t a hell of a lot better, Mason thought.
“Once the contaminated water spread throughout the country, it didn’t take long for that same water to circulate around the globe. At one time, cancer was the most feared disease in the world until the vaccine meant to protect people from its grip turned even deadlier. Sometimes—”
Lexa’s mom interrupted them then, “Mason! Stop talking the girl’s ears off with those horror stories.”
“Sorry, love.”
Mason didn’t tell his daughter, but the government didn’t prepare for such a horrific experiment gone wrong. At first, they tried to hide the truth from the people of the world, but it didn’t take long for whistleblowers to share the classified information, and then mass panic erupted. People started killing each other for their water supply, and the government couldn’t protect the people anymore. It shut down soon after. They hoped to save the world, but they ended up ruining it instead.
Lexa and Ivie spent the next few years with their parents and Harry and Kiki in the camp. They took in a few stragglers who passed by, and their camp grew to almost twenty people.
During one summer, it seemed as though the sky had no more rain left to share. Temperatures rose, and the stream running through camp dried up like old bones. Thirst became a real threat again, and the camp whispered and gossiped about what would happen next. Would they have to move? Where would they go?
It was then that Mason and Xenabelle decided to venture off in search of a new water source. Lexa and Ivie begged them to stay, but they wanted to help save the camp. The sisters said goodbye to their parents and never saw them again.
Lexa and Ivie held hands as they approached their camp. They knew they’d be in trouble for being gone for so long, especially when they told the others they were at the old zoo, miles away.
“Ready? We’re about to get wrung out,” Lexa warned.
Ivie sighed and held her sister’s hand.
Harry hobbled toward the girls with a look of fright plastered to his face. “Girls, hurry! It’s Kiki!”
Ivie and Lexa looked to each other and sprinted into camp, still hand in hand.
4
The sisters followed Harry into camp and dove into their tent once they reached the tattered navy opening. Inside, Kiki laid with her head on a flat, saggy pillow, sweat pouring off her brows.
Lexa bent down next to Kiki and grasped her hand tightly in hers. “Kiki? It’s me, Lexa.”
Kiki continued to stare at the roof of
the tent and didn’t flinch at the sound of more bodies beside her.
Lexa turned to Harry, tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know,” he cried. “We’ve been low on water, but we’re still cleanin’ it like we always do.”
Kiki’s white hair, slick with sweat, stuck to her forehead, and the veins all over her body pulsated with slow, distinct pressure. Ivie moved to crawl next to Kiki, but Lexa held out her arm and shook her head.
“She could be contagious,” Lexa whispered, quickly letting go of Kiki’s hand.
Harry put his head in his hands and wept silently, rocking back and forth. “She’s all I have; she’s all I have.”
Lexa placed her hand on Harry’s shoulder. “You have us, too.”
Harry sniffled and patted Lexa’s hand. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her. We’ve been together longer than we’ve been apart.”
Lexa wiped a tear and closed her eyes. She couldn’t begin to fathom how Harry was feeling right now. To be so in love with a person, to have spent more than half your life with them, only to lose them to the sickness you spent your lives trying to hide from. It wasn’t fair. If anyone deserved love and happiness, it was Harry and Kiki.
Would Lexa ever be lucky enough to find her own Harry? She shook the thought away. Love wasn’t her main priority in life. It probably wasn’t even in the top ten list of priorities. She had her sister to think about, the others in the camp, clean water, food, shelter, hiding from gangs, and so much more. Maybe she’d never find love in this twisted, fucked-up and diseased world, but that was okay. As long as she was healthy and Ivie was taken care of, that’s all that mattered.
Harry, Lexa and Ivie exited the tent, and each breathed in the fresh air. Lexa didn’t realize it at first, but the air inside the tent smelled like death. It wasn’t until she stepped away that she could see the whole picture.
Harry walked away, his gait slow and reluctant. Lexa knew better than to follow him. He needed to be alone, to process, to learn how to live without his wife. Nothing Lexa could say or do would prepare Harry for the biggest loss of his life. Not to mention, she was only sixteen years old. What kind of wisdom could she offer a man old enough to be her grandfather?
“Is Kiki going to die?” Ivie asked.
“She is,” Lexa said matter-of-factly. There was no point in trying to sugarcoat it for her baby sister. It wouldn’t do her any favors to withhold the gruesome truth from her or to lie.
“But why?”
“I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t. She must have come in contact with some contaminated water, or—” Lexa paused. How did Kiki become sick? Everyone was always very careful about the water. They each took shifts making sure the filter worked properly and burying the contaminations far away from camp. Not to mention, if someone came in contact with contaminated water, it burned their skin or throat instantly.
“What is it, Lexa?” Ivie asked.
“I have to talk to the last person on filter duty. They would know if something’s wrong with the water. But, I just have to remember who was on duty last,” Lexa asked herself. Then, with a sinking feeling, one which caused bile to rise in her throat, she remembered who was on duty last, or rather, who was supposed to be on filter duty last: it was her.
“Oh my, God,” she whispered to herself.
“What? What is it? Tell me!” Ivie begged.
Lexa ignored Ivie’s pleas and tore through the camp to the pond. Ivie’s little legs couldn’t keep up, and she fell behind quickly. “Wait up!” she called after her sister, but Lexa couldn’t wait any longer. She needed to find out what was going on with the water. She never missed a shift before, but she forgot to switch with someone for Ivie’s birthday, for their trip to the zoo. She never thought of checking the filter before she left, or running the necessary tests to make sure everything was in order. Had she poisoned Kiki? Was she responsible for her death?
Lexa stopped dead at the pond and pulled the rope attached to the filter. She yanked on the lead as hard as she could, and the filter made a distinct “pop!” sound and resurfaced onto the grass beside the water.
Lexa pulled gloves out of her pocket and inspected the filter carefully. Her heart pounded as sweat pooled at her temple. Her stomach felt as though a boulder sat inside, expanding every second.
The filter shook and sputtered in Lexa’s hand. Then, it stopped moving. Lexa shook it rapidly and swore at the top of her lungs.
“C’mon! Work!”
Ivie caught up to Lexa, panting with rosy cheeks. “What-are-you-doing?”
More tears leaped from Lexa’s eyes. If the filter were working properly, it would spin at a constant rate, with no stutters or pauses. It didn’t take a scientist to see: the filter was broken. That meant the entire camp’s water source was compromised. How many others came into contact with the contaminants unknowingly? How many others would die because of her mistake?
“We gotta go back to camp and warn everyone!” Lexa cried.
“Warn them about what?”
“The water,” Lexa said. “It’s contaminated!”
Ivie’s eyes grew to the size of a harvest moon, and Lexa couldn’t bear to look at her. She let her sister down; she let Kiki down; she let her entire camp down. It was all her fault. Now the question would be if Kiki would turn violent like so many others before. Would she lose her soul and become a killing machine? Would she toss her humanity into the wind and lash out toward the other campers?
Lexa scurried away from the pond with Ivie at her heels. She needed to stop everyone from drinking the water, or else they’d die.
When she reached the campsite, most of the members looked toward her in curiosity. As much as Lexa wanted to scream and shout for everyone to stop what they were doing and come to a family meeting, she knew any unwarranted noise would draw in unwanted guests. So, Lexa and Ivie split up and rushed to everyone’s tents, telling them there was an emergency meeting right away. No exceptions. No excuses.
In less than ten minutes, all seventeen of the camp members stood nervously around the campfire. “What is it? What’s going on?” they chirped.
Lexa stood on the massive boulder in front of the group. Her hands quivered behind her back.
“Everyone listen up! This is important. Has anyone used water in their cooking today?” The campers would absolutely know if they drank the contaminated water, their throats would burn after the first sip, but if it was used in cooking, the burning wouldn’t be instantaneous.
Many looked around to each other, and more than half of the group raised their hands. Lexa thought she was going to be sick, right there, in front of everyone.
“What’s going on, Lexa?” one of newest members asked. “What’s wrong with the water?”
“I’m afraid to say, the water’s been contaminated. Anyone who ate food made with the water today is susceptible to contamination too.”
Gasps, cries, and moans filled the air. Lexa just announced the worst possible news, and even more terrible was that it was all her fault. Soon, the infected would lose their humanity and want nothing more than to kill the others. The infected would forget who they were and would lose one sense at a time until they transformed into blind killing machines
5
While the camp had no specific leader, Lexa had inadvertently taken on leadership responsibilities after her parents’ disappearance a few years ago. Everyone looked up to her parents and trusted them with all their hearts. The group trusted her parents to keep them safe and make the hard but necessary decisions for them. Lexa, with a gigantic pit in her stomach, felt as though she not only let her camp down but her parents, too.
She remembered a time when her parents saved everyone from a roaming cannibal herd. Only weeks before the flesh eaters stumbled upon their camp, Mason implemented a night’s watch group. All the men and the strongest boys would take turn watching over the camp.
A large oak tree stood taller than the rest of the
trees in the area. The men used that tree to watch the horizon for any signs of an incoming threat. Mason even crafted a hammock of sorts for the men to sit in while on watch. The men took four hour shifts before rotating, and two guards were assigned at one time.
Most often, they’d see a stray bear or a storm looming ahead, but one night, Rocky’s father saw much more coming their way. He sounded the alarm, an old bicycle bell, and whistled as loudly as he could. Xenabelle and Mason heard the alarm right away. Xenabelle gathered all the women and children in a makeshift bunker by the lake, and the men gathered all their weapons and stood at the ready. When the cannibals took their first steps onto the campgrounds, they didn’t stand a chance. It was a bloody and brutal battle, but the camp was ready. They were prepared. Not a single camper was injured.
After that night, there was no question that Mason and Xenabelle were fit to lead the camp. If only Lexa could live up to their legends.
“I’m sorry, everyone,” she said with her hands inside her tattered jeans pockets.
“How did this happen?” Rocky asked.
Rocky, Lexa’s friend since childhood, looked to her pleadingly with large hazel eyes. She looked away, afraid to return his stare. While Lexa didn’t necessarily believe in love, a part of her, deep down, loved Rocky. They practically grew up together, and now she had to tell him and everyone else the truth.
When they were children, Lexa and Rocky were always protecting each other from harm, or worse, each other’s parents. If one went off exploring, they would cover for each other. Mostly, though, they explored outside the campgrounds together.
During one particular game of tag, they drifted so far away from camp that the dubious duo feared they wouldn’t be able to find their way back, or worse, be found by a gang or group of cannibals. Rocky and Lexa needed to come up with a plan to escape the wrath of their parents. There was no way Lexa’s parents would let her get away with going missing for so long.