In the Aftermath: Burning of the Dawn

by Coleman Thompson

  The response was undeniable; Vita gently squeezed her mother’s hand. Clarissa smiled and almost even shed a tear. She leaned over and kissed her daughter. After a couple delicate kisses, Clarissa noticed something else. Vita’s eyelids fluttered. The young girl was attempting to open her eyes.

  After nearly two hours of effort, Daniel and Maria had successfully completed the installation of the lights. The lights would be powered by a pair of car batters that Daniel had placed in the second floor bedroom near his listening post where they could be switched on at a moment’s notice.

  “So, will this actually hold them off?” Maria asked in reference to the Sayona as she and Daniel stood in the yard admiring and criticizing their work. “Or is it just gonna piss them off royally?”

  “A little of both I hope,” Daniel answered. “The lights will slow them down and disorient them and my rifle can supply the pain, and maybe cause them to do something nice and stupid.”

  “Like what?”

  “Get close enough to one of these windows, so I can stick a knife in ‘em.”

  “Ah, that sounds oddly gratifying… and insanely terrifying.”

  “Could not have put it any better myself,” stated Daniel. He and Maria were quiet for a brief interlude, but quietness was in neither of their natures. Daniel could see that something was stirring in young Maria as she meticulously bit at her nails. He knew more questions were soon to come.

  “You ever think about things?” Maria asked in a vague sort of sense. “You know, like marriage, relationships, having children and whatnot? And will it ever really be possible again?”

  “Can’t say that I have.” Daniel answered dejectedly. “Honestly, I never really gave it much thought before the war; which was probably a good thing. If I’d’ve lost somebody I really cared for, I probably would’ve been out of this game a long time ago. My brother died, yeah, but at least he did so on his own terms, mostly. He wasn’t butchered by scavengers, or eaten alive by monsters. I guess that’s about as good as you can hope for nowadays… not to be a downer or anything.”

  “It’s kinda weird, and maybe I’m just being dumb, but I still wake up thinking that all of this is gonna end. That the government is gonna come out of hiding with some super pesticide, or something, and just wipe out all the monsters. And then we all live happily-ish in the ever after.”

  Daniel looked over to Maria, gave her a subtle smile, and replied, “Don’t worry, you’ll get over it.”

  “I guess,” Maria responded with a not-so-subtle laugh. “Everyone else has. I’m just behind the times it seems.”

  “Hah, you should hear my music collection – behind the times with pride!”

  “They don’t make ‘em like they use to. I guess that kinda goes without saying, now.”

  “I was definitely born in the wrong century,” Daniel professed. “I think the 1980s would’ve been fun.”

  “Yeah, maybe…” Maria lingered for a moment before continuing. “So, you were never married or anything?”

  “Nope, never was. You? Many boyfriends back in the day?”

  “A few here and there. Nothing too serious.”

  “That’s the way to play it, player! Avoid the serious – nothin’ but trouble.”

  “You’re being pessimistic again, Mr. Daniel.”

  “Sorry; it’s in my nature.”

  “I don’t know about that. Sounds to me like you’re speaking from experience. You have many girlfriends?”

  “Not many, no.” Daniel answered honestly, yet awkwardly. Maria’s personal questions were beginning to discomfort him. “Is this really something we should be discussing?”

  “Yes,” answered Maria. “You’re a good person; there had to have been someone at some point.”

  “Yeah, there was one.” As much as speaking of his one and only relationship distressed him, Daniel was aware that there were much worse things that he and Maria could be discussing from his past, so he humored the girl. “We were together about three and half years, by my clock anyway.”

  “By your clock? Was her clock different?”

  “There were occasional, brief, interludes of separation. Sometimes she informed me of them; sometimes she didn’t. It was difficult to keep track at times.”

  “Huh? You weren’t informed about breaking up?” Maria stared perplexingly at Daniel, who attempted to avoid her powerful gaze, until she soon determined his meaning. “Ah, she cheated on you!”

  “She liked to keep her options open.” Daniel feebly jested.

  “Oh, it was her options she was keeping open?”

  “The monotony of monogamy isn’t for everyone.”

  “Bullshit; she sounds like a stupid, selfish skank, if I may say so myself.”

  “Nice alliteration.”

  “Seriously, you should’ve dumped her, dude.”

  “I did – eventually.”

  “Three and a half years?” Maria affectionately chastised. “Come on, you didn’t deserve that. That’s the worst: cheating on someone who cares about you. It’s as low as low can possibly get. And I’ll bet a million useless bucks that you never once cheated on her, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t share in part of the blame.”

  “Pfff, this oughta be good.” Maria quipped.

  “My personality can get on people’s nerves: I talk too much; I’m anxious; I can be obsessively over-concerned; neurotically suspicious and, as you’ve noted, a bit of a buzzkill sometimes.”

  “It’s Stockholm Syndrome,” declared Maria.

  “It’s not Stockholm Syndrome.” Daniel refuted; though Maria’s spirited claim did get a laugh out of him.

  “It is: she held you prisoner for three years and now you’re making excuses for her. There are no excuses; the girl is an ungrateful prick and you deserved better.”

  “Thanks, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

  “Nice – a lack of confidence… girls love that in a guy.”

  “Right, I think we should probably go inside now and see if your mother needs anything.”

  “Are you running away from this deep, meaningful, introspective moment we’re having right now?”

  “At full speed, darlin’.”

  “All right, all right, I’ll back off, for now.” Maria assured in a mostly believable manner. “You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to talk to anyone outside of my family… especially a guy.”

  “Sure got stuck with a winner, didn’t ya?” Daniel teased.

  “Yeah, we did.” Maria did not tease. “You’re thoughtful, but still honest when you talk to Vita and me. Most people talk down to us, or lie to us outright, like we’re just a couple of stupid, little girls. Even our mom does it sometimes.”

  “They’re just trying to protect you. You’re still a kid, Ms. Hannigan; a cool kid, but still a kid nonetheless.”

  “That’s me, as cool as can be…”

  Daniel wondered back to something Maria had just said. She’d insinuated that there had been other people in her life at some point after the war. This interested him. Daniel gave thought to exercising discretion and not prying into Maria’s past, but that was exactly what she did not want: to be treated like a scared, immature girl. Daniel posed his question to Maria.

  “How long has it been since you last spoke to someone before me? If I may ask.”

  “Well, there was that guy and his two kids who’re dead now;” Maria spoke openly. “I didn’t actually speak to them, but my mother did – she yelled at them anyway. Before that, there was another time a few months back. We met a couple of guys on the side of the road who sorta tried to rape and murder me.”

  “Christ, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

  “No, don’t worry,” Maria chuckled. “It turned out a lot worse for them than it did for me.”

  “Your mother?” Daniel asked, though he was already sure of the answer.

  “My mother indeed.” Maria confirmed. “They really pissed
her off that day.”

  “That I can understand; good for her. You weren’t hurt were you?”

  “Nah, I’m fine. Vita was freaked out for a while afterwards. Can’t really blame her now… I know exactly how she must’ve felt.”

  “You’re a tough bunch. I am consistently in awe.”

  “Thank you; we do aim to impress.”

  “Job well done, little Hannigan.”

  “So anyway, yeah, before meeting those two murdering-rapey-assholes, we didn’t see anybody for a while; which was the way my mother wanted it.”

  “After the war you all just stayed on the road for all this time?”

  “No, not exactly,” Maria spoke with a brief pause. “We didn’t hit the grand open road ‘til earlier this year.”

  “Where were you for the entire year before that? And don’t hesitate to shut me up if I’m goin’ someplace I shouldn’t be.”

  “Nonsense, we should all be honest with each other about everything. It’s no big secret anyway; we lived with other people in a commune down near Maryland. We hooked up with them a few months after the war ended, and stayed with them until winter – probably about eight or nine months overall.”

  “How big was this community you joined?”

  “There were fifty-five of us… it was actually kind of nice at times.” Maria took a brief moment to commemorate that time with her silence; Daniel did not disturb her. She soon went on. “They were nice people. There were kids, too; some of them around my age. It wasn’t a normal life by any means, but it was livable… it was something.”

  “That’s a big group. I’m amazed you managed to avoid the Sayona for so long.”

  “Smart people; they knew how to hide and when to shut up. We stayed in the hills and in the woods sometimes, but there were also these underground bunkers that we’d use, mostly.”

  “So, here comes the ugly question,” Daniel stated reluctantly, and then asked, “What happened? Why’d you, your mother and sister leave them?”

  “We weren’t the only group in that area. There was another one west of us. They had more people than we did, but fewer supplies. My mom didn’t like them. I don’t blame her there; they were definitely a strange sorta bunch.”

  “Were they violent?”

  “They didn’t seem to be. Even if they wanted to be, there wasn’t much they could do. They had the numbers, but they didn’t have any real weapons; not like us. We had shotguns and rifles; they had hammers and rakes. Anyway, they wanted to join with us. Some of us were for; some of us were against.”

  “Your mother was against.”

  “Oh yeah, they were crazy, religious nuts. Her words, not mine… not that I disagreed.”

  “They do exist,” declared Daniel in a vindictive voice. “Were they Amish?”

  “Um, no,” Maria stated with a sardonic snicker. “Nearly half of our group was Amish, and they’re quite sane I might add. They’re the ones who knew all the hiding places and hidden farms and safe areas. They probably saved our lives.”

  “I stand corrected. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to speak ill of your friends.”

  “I know, lighten up, I’m only teasing.” Maria assured with a delicate laugh. “And you didn’t really speak ill of them, you just hinted that they were crazy. And a couple of them were in the good, amusing kind of way.”

  “So the other group wasn’t the fun kind of crazy?”

  “No, they weren’t much fun at all. Damn cultists. They thought the Sayona were demons from Hell and that God had taken all the good people from Earth and left the rest of us here to be punished for our sins.”

  “A lot of that went around; don’t take it personally. People try to rationalize the world around them and by doing so, they, occasionally, come up with some pretty damn stupid conclusions.”

  “No kidding. My mother hated them, and many in our group didn’t trust them either, but like I said: a lot of nice people were there. They wanted to give the others a chance.”

  “So you let them in?”

  “They did; we didn’t.” Maria exclaimed. “My mother took us and went her own way. Our friends tried to persuade her not to, but… you know my mother.”

  “I can’t say I wouldn’t’ve done the same thing she did,” Daniel explained. “I’ve had my run-ins with crazies. It ain’t much fun.”

  “I know. They were definitely lunatics, but abandoning the people who looked after us, and the people we looked after in return, just doesn’t sit well with me. I mean, I get mad at them, too, sometimes – our group that is. That cult’s leader claimed to be the Apostle John. Seriously, how exactly do you justify something like that?”

  “I don’t know. I guess it’s good to believe all hope in humanity isn’t lost, but on the same note you can’t afford to be blind to reality either. That’s what a cult founder wants in his followers: naiveté and complete obedience.”

  “There was a pregnant girl in that group. No way was she as old as I am… not even close.”

  “That’s never a good sign.”

  “No, it really isn’t,” Maria concurred. “Well, I’m all nice and depressed now; maybe I’ll go inside and draw something strange.”

  “Cool, can’t wait to see it,” proclaimed Daniel. “We’ll frame it and hang it when you’re all finished.”

  “Awesome,” Maria replied. “My insides feel all special now.”

  “That’s weird, but okay! Let’s go check on your mom, shall we?”

  With those words Daniel and Maria returned to the house. Maria first sought a restroom reprieve before visiting her mother and sister; Daniel headed directly to the storeroom. As he entered, Clarissa and Vita were just as he had left them, or so it seemed. Clarissa operated the resuscitator bag and tenderly caressed her daughter’s hair. Daniel did notice something different about Clarissa. She nearly had a smile on her lips and her countenance and composure seemed almost lighter. Maybe her pain pill for the day was a really potent one, thought Daniel. He then spoke to Clarissa.

  “We’re done outside, so Maria should be along in a moment.” He stated. “If there’s anything you need…”

  “Sit down next to Vita.” Clarissa calmly commanded. Daniel did as she asked, thinking little of her command and presuming that she probably needed a bathroom reprieve of her own. That notion soon faded as Daniel received her next order: “Take her by the hand.” Daniel looked to Clarissa perplexingly, but still did as she asked.

  “Is she okay?” Daniel inquired.

  Clarissa made no reply to Daniel. Instead, she looked down to Vita and in a soft voice spoke to her, “Vita, you want to say hi to Daniel?”

  Before Daniel could make any sense out of Clarissa’s behavior, he felt Vita’s hand grip his own. Her grasp was delicate, but he could clearly feel her squeezing his hand.

  “Holy Christ…” Daniel spoke softly, yet his elation was grand. He controlled his inner jubilations as best he could. Daniel closed his eyes and released his exultations in a quiet laugh that he muffled against Vita’s hand.

  Maria soon appeared in the storeroom doorway. She knew instantly that something was different by the odd appearances and mannerisms of both Daniel and her mother. Maria’s first impulse was to worry.

  “What’s going on?” Maria asked. “What’s wrong with Vita?”

  “C’mere.” Daniel spoke as he motioned Maria over and offered her Vita’s hand. Daniel stood from his position and Maria took his place on the pallet next to her sister. Her worries quickly intensified.

  “What is it? What’s wrong with her? What am I…?” Maria was stunned into a silence. Her silence did not last long. “Oh God, she’s squeezing my hand! Vita! Can you hear me?”

  Vita squeezed her sister’s hand in response, but Maria’s mounting joy and escalating excitement left her ignorant to most things in general at that moment. It wasn’t long until Maria’s exultation spilled over into loving tears. She then looked to Daniel.

  “She’s gonna be okay!” Maria reassured him, smi
ling brilliantly through her tears.

  Daniel nodded in agreement. He left the storeroom, so the Hannigans could have a moment alone together, and took a seat against the wall on the far side of the living room. There he released a deep breath and relaxed, somewhat, for the first time in a very long time. Daniel knew better than to get too hopeful or comfortable, but Maria was likely right: her sister was going to be okay. Perfectly okay or relatively okay? was the big question. It would still be a while before Daniel would know that answer.

  Vita squeezed hands and slightly opened her eyes from time to time, but the paralyzing effects of the Sayona venom rendered her from doing little else. Nevertheless, her mother and sister stayed with her the rest of the day. As the night came again, Daniel sought his night-vision binoculars. He left them with the Hannigans so they could keep an eye on Vita even in the darkness. Clarissa stayed on life-support duties, leaving Maria in charge of night-vision observations. Just as he had done the previous nights, Daniel closed the Hannigans safely inside the storeroom and then retired upstairs so he could keep an eye and an ear to the outside world.

  Maria kept a keen watch on her sister for over an hour, but tiredness eventually overtook her. The night-vision also gave her a headache. Clarissa commanded Maria to put down the binoculars and get some rest. Maria hesitantly did as her mother demanded. Clarissa could have used some rest as well, but she was having the same problem that Maria was having: the anticipation of Vita’s recovery was too enlivening. Clarissa repressed her expectations and focused only on the present situation: her daughter was still paralyzed and in danger; keeping her alive was all that mattered right now. Vita, on the other hand, had every intention of shattering her mother’s plan and, within hours, she would do exactly that.

  Sunrise was still hours away, Clarissa was sure of that much. She anxiously awaited the morning. Her side was hurting more than usual tonight as she had stayed with Vita the majority of the day and had little time to rest. The excitement of Vita’s upturn had quelled Clarissa’s pain for a brief interlude, but now it had returned. She silently commiserated with herself over her enduring pain, though it wasn’t long before her moment of sympathetic solitude was abruptly ended. She felt something on her hand – her right hand, the hand that was operating Vita’s resuscitator bag. Her daughter was touching her.