by Jack Hunt
“In all fairness the rules were created in response to what people were seeing not work in the community. It’s not all bad and believe me, I don’t like rules as much as you.”
“I doubt that,” Brolin replied.
We continued driving for another ten minutes before Lincoln slowed the truck down. He hopped out and instinctively they all knew what to do. A large number of Z’s were clogging up the road in front of them. All four of them dropped down to a knee and began picking them off one by one. It was quite something to see. No one told the other what to do. They just did their part. If only it could have been that way among our group. We were like a disjointed family that couldn’t agree on what TV show to watch.
Axel looked back at me. “You gonna help or just sit there?”
I shrugged, hopped up behind the light bar and rested the gun on the top. In two fast bursts, bullets tore through heads and like dominos they dropped in front of us.
“Never gets old,” Brolin said hopping back in the truck with a bounce in his step.
“So how many of you are there?”
“About two hundred.”
“I’m surprised we haven’t seen you in the city.”
“We go in. Just under the cover of darkness.”
“A little dangerous.”
“Yeah, if you’re an idiot.”
They peeled away. The rest of the journey was zombie free. When we arrived at Conkling Point I hopped out.
“Heads up. You might want to keep your eyes open for a group of men who wear shemaghs. They killed fifteen of ours for nothing.”
Lincoln nodded. “We’ve seen them. If they come, we’ll be ready.”
I didn’t know if he was naive or dead serious. His face showed little emotion.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said patting the side of the truck.
“Tell me something,” Axel asked. “You hooked up with anyone?”
They all burst out laughing, to which he responded, “Oh shut up.”
“Yeah, actually I am. Good girl too. Well, I think I am.”
It dawned on me that I wasn’t sure where I stood with Wren. A wave of guilt washed over me at the thought that I hadn’t answered her question about whether or not she was important to me. The truth was, I hadn’t spent a great deal of time thinking about it. I simply went with the flow.
“Too bad,” Axel said. Lincoln patted him on the back as though soothing his wounded heart.
“Anyway, thanks again.”
They nodded and studied me as I made my way down to the boat. Not once had they asked if I wanted to head back to where they lived. They were cautious. That was smart. You couldn’t be too careful now. As I hopped into the boat that was tied to a mooring post, I glanced back at them. There was something about their group that I was drawn to. Maybe it was the sense of unity. The very thing that we once had.
CHAPTER 13
BAJA
THE RESISTANCE HADN’T PUT up much of a resistance. At first I scoffed at the very thought of how quick they were to accept James Fritz and his psycho army. Then I realized that Ray was right, not everyone knew. Jess sat with both hands clasped together, it was almost like she couldn’t fathom that it had come to this.
“Are you sure?” Rowan asked.
“Go see for yourself.”
“No, it’s impossible Ethan wouldn’t allow it. Neither would any of the leaders. They were the very ones that fought back against Fritz in the city.”
“Listen, I’m just telling you what I saw and what he told me. Now I don’t know what has happened to the other six leaders but I’m pretty sure anyone who objected would have been dealt with in a swift manner.”
“Leaders or not. The people wouldn’t allow it,” Rowan replied looking out the window as if Fritz’s men would be patrolling the streets.
“All I know is that they have seized the armory. So whatever weapons the people had at their disposal they don’t have them now. Three thousand people or not, it doesn’t matter. They are seizing back weapons that anyone has. If anyone resists, they are shot immediately.”
Rowan shook his head and paced back and forth. “It can’t be.”
“I saw it with my own eyes on the way over here. Douglas Randall tried to put up a fight. He’s dead now.”
“We need to fight.”
I frowned. “Didn’t you just hear what I said?”
“We need to get out of here,” Jess said, objecting to Rowan’s idea.
I’d never seen her look so fearful. Losing Izzy had broken what little inner strength she had left. In times gone by she might have been ready to fight but not now.
“That’s not the worst of it.”
I brought them up to speed on what Fritz had said about the cure.
“Johnny is on his way here.”
“What?” Wren exclaimed
“He wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Why didn’t he just come in with you?”
“And get thrown in the can?”
“But that could have happened to you.”
“Might still. But at least with one of us out, we stand a chance.”
“Does he know about what Fritz needs?”
“No.”
Rowan looked as if he was contemplating what to say next. “If they see him, he’s screwed.”
Wren immediately jumped up and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Rowan asked.
“To warn him.”
“Might be too late for that.”
“I’m not just going stay here and do nothing.”
I looked at Jess, she was beside herself with worry. But I didn’t think it was for Johnny. Something had broken inside of her. We all had experienced so much on the road. Everyone was bound to reach their breaking point eventually. For her, it was now.
Jess got up to leave and Rowan grabbed her arm. “It’s best if we stay, Jess.”
“And let them kill us the way they killed Izzy?”
“Then we fight.”
“Fight? Are you out of your mind? There are hundreds of them. You saw yourself,” Wren said.
The resistance was not comprised of three thousand people, it amounted to about three hundred who were initially part of the first thousand. So the idea that they could have immediately fought back wasn’t smart without access to the armory.
“She’s right,” I said. “Whatever home you think you can have here, it’s gone. It’s over.”
Wren was already out of the door. Rowan chased after her. She had jumped in a jeep and was about to leave when he stood in front with his hands out. “Just wait a minute.”
“What is there to wait for? We should have left with them.”
“And go where? Where is home? This is our home.”
“Not anymore,” I said drawing closer.
“Listen, just give me half an hour. Maybe I can work out some kind of deal with Fritz,” Rowan said.
“I highly doubt it. If anyone is at the top of his shit list it’s you. You screwed him over at the Hive.”
“He doesn’t know that. I’ll reason with him.”
I shook my head and walked up to Rowan. “Just forget it, Rowan, we need to leave now.”
Rowan’s head dropped. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew that if Fritz was now in control of the community, no one was safe.
“Alright let’s go. Jess,” he shouted towards the house and then told Wren they would grab a few things before they left. When Jess didn’t reply, he frowned and called for her again.
“I’ll go see,” I said. When I returned to the house, I called for her but there was no response. I entered the kitchen and noticed a note on the counter. It read: I’m not leaving until he’s dead.
“Shit!”
I charged out of the house. “She’s going to kill Fritz.”
“Wh… What?” Rowan stammered.
“Jess, she’s going to kill him.”
I slapped the note against his chest and hopped in th
e vehicle.
“I’m going with you,” Wren said.
“No. You go meet with Johnny. Wait for us by the beach. If we don’t return by nightfall — leave.”
“But…”
“No buts, Wren. You have to promise me you will get the hell away from this place,” Rowan bellowed.
She stared back at him with her mouth partly open.
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
Rowan kissed her on the forehead before jumping in the other side. I gunned it out of there hoping to catch up with Jess before she reached section A.
“She couldn’t have got far on foot.”
“Not if she took the motorbike out back.”
Rowan slammed his fist against the dashboard. “Shit, Jess.” His eyes were scanning the road ahead. A look of desperation masked his face. It was a good forty-minute drive, thirty if you really drove hard. We passed by several guards patrolling. No doubt they were keeping an eye out and making sure that no one decided to resist. One of them stared at us as we shot by. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw him dart out into the road. He was speaking on his radio, no doubt alerting section A to our arrival.
“If I lose her…” Rowan trailed off.
It had been strange to see the development of his relationship with Jess. I’d been so used to seeing her with Johnny. It just felt wrong, but it was clear he cared for her.
CHAPTER 14
I HADN’T EVEN MADE ground on the other side when I saw Wren standing by the beach. She kept shifting her position and looking around as if someone could be watching. Water lapped against the side of the boat as it crunched against the bottom of the beach. I hopped out feeling water soak into my boots.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting there since we left,” I smirked.
“You need to get out of here now.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Well, that wasn’t the response I was hoping for.”
“Fritz is here.”
My eyes scanned the beachfront and tree line.
“They’re taken over the community.”
I started walking towards the tree line and she kept getting in front of me.
“Aren’t you listening? If he sees you, you will be pulled aside.”
“Where are the others?”
“Don’t you get it? You are going to die.”
I was still trying to grasp the fact that he was back. I raised my hand. “Slow down.” Everything she was saying was coming out too fast. She was being carried away by her emotions. I motioned for us to get behind a small cluster of trees so that we’d be out of sight of prying eyes.
“Start from the beginning.”
“There is no time.”
I shifted my weight on one foot. “I’ve just traveled a long distance to get here. I’m not going to just up and leave. Now settle the fuck down and tell me what’s going on?”
“The pale ones are here.”
“I already know that.”
She brought me up to speed on what Baja had told them. When she was finished, I sat down on a stump.
“Now you know why it’s important that you get out of here.”
“Does he have the other five?”
“I imagine so.”
“But that’s not…” she trailed off and I caught an edge in her voice.
“Not what?”
“Jess went after him.”
I stood up fast and felt the blood rush to my feet. I felt dizzy. Steadying myself against the side of a tree I breathed slowly.
“Rowan and Baja went after her.”
“Shit.”
We stood there for a few minutes. The sound of waves lapping against the shore and wind blowing through the trees was the only thing that could be heard. A few starlings broke away from the trees. My immediate thought was to rush after Jess but if Wren was right, the chances of getting close without being seen were slim.
“She’ll be stopped before she even gets close to him.”
Wren looked lost as if for the first time in her life she didn’t know what to do. That was the thing about living in a community. Unless you had experienced life outside of the walls and been forced to fight your way out of situations, the natural instinct was to be compliant. Almost no one except those who were military was ready to fight. They were normal families, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles. Most of them had to be taught how to fire a weapon, and while most had learned, they weren’t ready to go up against Fritz and his squad. Hell, even we weren’t. The logical thing was to flee. But that was no longer an option, not without the others. I groaned wishing Elijah and Ben were here. Ben would have known what to do.
“I need to see what’s happening.”
Wren let out a heavy sigh. She turned and started heading back to a lone car parked up near the beach. “Where are you going?”
“If we are doing this, you are going to need to change out of those clothes. Leaving a wet puddle behind you is going to attract all the wrong attention.”
I trudged behind her, my feet squelching in my boots. I cast a glance over my shoulder across the water. I wished I had asked the others to help, the ones I’d met along the way.
It took us another thirty minutes to reach the house. Inside I stripped off and slipped on some of Rowan’s clothes. Even though they had been washed they still carried his stench. He was a little taller than I was, so I had to roll up the pant legs slightly. I threw on a hoodie and looked at myself in the mirror before joining Wren in the living room. She paced back and forth and then peered nervously out the window.
“Wren. It’s going to be okay.” She didn’t buy it. “After we get the others, we’ll leave.”
“And go where?”
“This is not home,” I replied.
“It’s all I’ve known. Being with Rowan.”
I walked over to her and took a hold of her, she leaned into me, her body was warm. I could feel her chest rise and fall. She lingered there for a moment while I ran a hand through her hair. In many ways her relationship with Rowan was like Dax and me. All we had ever known was growing up together in a small town. Life without him felt empty.
“Come on, let’s go.”
She kept a firm grip on my hand as we returned to the car and drove out. She drove while I sat in the passenger side with a gun on my lap below a blanket. As we came along Route 27 heading for section A, we noticed up ahead there was a roadblock. Multiple vehicles were being inspected by Fritz’s men.
“What now?” Wren looked panicked. I hadn’t ever seen her this way.
“Just play it cool.”
“And what if they ask for our ID cards?”
Since living in the community required a certain amount of oversight, everyone was issued an ID card. It was nothing more than a snapshot, and a few details about who you were and what district you were a part of.
“They are probably just doing routine checks.”
“For what?”
The car crawled ahead. “We’ll soon find out.”
There were two cars ahead of us. The men went either side of the vehicle holding assault rifles in their hands. They were checking ID cards. As they waved on the car ahead of us, we moved up into place. Wren brought the window down.
“ID’s.”
“Right,” she said fumbling through her jacket. She produced it and handed it off to him. He glanced at her then brought the card up. He got on his radio for a few seconds. Meanwhile the other one was staring through the window at me. I wasn’t looking directly at him. My head was slightly dropped.
“And yours?”
“He doesn’t have one yet. He only arrived a day ago.”
My hood was up partially hiding my face. My hand was on the trigger below the blanket. The guy on my side tapped on the window with the barrel of his gun. I brought it down.
“Step out of the car.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Get out.”
As I shifted in my seat, I brought t
he gun up with the blanket. The man stepped back slightly to allow me enough room to get out. That was all I needed. Straight through the open window I fired. A spray of red mist covered the car as it hit an artery. I turned the gun but didn’t even need to, Wren had already fired off a round. It all happened in a matter of two seconds. Both men dropped to the ground and began bleeding out.
“Go, go,” I yelled. She gunned the accelerator and we powered out of there. Behind us I saw a few people get out of their cars to check the men.
“We need to get off Route 27.”
Wren yanked the wheel at the next turnoff and we disappeared down a back road. We figured they would probably have roadblocks every few miles to coincide with the different districts. Fritz was already on the search for me. I chewed over what Wren had told me about Fritz thinking they had found a way to create a permanent cure. Was that true? Annora had been working all year to try and find something that would last but the closest she had got was managing to keep the virus at bay for a month, then all signs of the infection would begin to show up.
We continued following the winding roads around until we got closer. We abandoned the car in a cluster of trees a mile from section A. The remainder of the way we went by foot. Upon reaching the first line of houses we ducked through the backyard, down the side and came out in a small cul-de-sac. Just as we were about to step out of the brush, two military vehicles came rumbling in. We did the first thing we could think of and entered the nearest house whose door was open. Slamming the door behind us, we tried to catch our breath. It was only when we heard a noise that we saw the family. A man, a wife and two small children. They looked on wide-eyed and worried.
“It’s okay, we’re…” I didn’t even get the words out when Wren tapped me. I turned and saw the silhouette of several men coming towards the door through the glass. They were fanning out, going house to house. No doubt they were looking for me.
We turned and our eyes started darting around the house looking for any place to hide. The man looked at us and then indicated a small closet below the stairs. The wife protested but he seemed to understand our predicament. We didn’t waste a second. We entered a small black hole beneath the stairs. I say hole as that was all it amounted to. It housed an old vacuum cleaner, a mop and a few boxes. There was zero room to move around.