Specious

by Berkstresser, Robin

  I’m about ten and at my grandparents’ cabin. Grandfather is teaching us how to fish. When I catch a fish before Dominic, he throws me into the lake out of anger.

  I just asked my first crush, Caroline, if she would like to go to the school dance with me even though she’s a little older. She laughs and tells me she’s already going with someone. Not able to find anyone to go to the dance with me, I sit at home and watch Dominic get ready. Right before he leaves, he tells me he’s going with Caroline and taunts me.

  I’m twenty and waiting on the hill. One of my only friends at school, Amber, is meeting me here. Ever since I got her message, I’ve been able to do nothing else but daydream about what’s going to happen on the hill. There is familiar laughter coming from the other side. I run over to see my brother kissing Amber.

  It’s my twenty-second birthday and my brother is out. It’s just me and my mother at home for dinner. There’s no pressure to be anyone else.

  The Letum are about ten yards behind us. I haven’t even begun to live and I’m about to die. My side aches with every breath and it feels like I’m not getting enough oxygen. A light is approaching quickly. I guess people really do see a light before they die.

  The rational part of my brain recognizes it as headlights from a vehicle. It keeps getting closer and I grow afraid it’s simply going to hit us. At least it’s a better way to die than being eaten by the Letum.

  “Dominic,” Jess breathlessly predicts.

  The vehicle screeches to a stop right in front of us and at this point, we’re barely ahead of the massive group. The headlights are blinding. Out of the car springs a tiny shadow that races out. Close behind is a much bigger figure holding a large stick-like object.

  “Not him,” I pant back.

  At this point, Jess takes out her large knife. The four of us turn and face our attackers. I hit the one closest to me in the chest with the small blade I had with me. The force knocks it to the ground, its shirt coming up and revealing an emaciated chest where, even in the dark, I can easily make out each rib. Before it can get up, I jam my weapon in its head. I’m so exhausted that the next one coming at me takes three lunges before I finally connect with its head to kill it.

  I scan the scene. The two strangers fending off the group look to be in control. Jess is fighting off three of the Letum. I run over to help her before she becomes overwhelmed. I stab one in the head through its eye. When I pull the knife out, its eye comes with it and pops out. I resist the urge to gag.

  Jess holds the last one back. It drips its own blood as it gnaws on its lip. I stab it and it instantly stills.

  I check up on our two saviors. There is one more left and it lunges at the smaller figure. Luckily, the Letum is much too slow. Before it can reattempt an attack, the larger person slams down a weapon and crushes its skull. It’s over.

  I stash my weapon back in my pocket and wipe my hands across my dirty pants to get some of the gore off of them.

  Jess and I make eye contact, her expression numb, and I take her in my arms. We stand there for a few seconds just appreciating the fact that we’re still alive.

  A fake cough takes place about ten feet to the left, breaking our embrace. “Well, no big deal or anything, but we just saved your asses,” the bigger figure says. He’s taller than even Dominic and just as intimidating physically. However, his lopsided grin combined with his big ears makes it difficult for him to be truly frightening.

  The smaller person quickly jabs him in the side with her elbow and says, “What he’s trying to say is it’s nice to meet you. I can’t believe we got here in time.” She speaks very quickly. “What are the chances? We were just driving back to our cabin when we saw you two. How long have you two even been running? Where did you come from? How did you get here?”

  The tall man laughs down at her and says, “She gets pretty talkative when she’s excited. You wouldn’t know it from the size of her, but she’s a noisy little thing.” He then smiles down at her and there is such affection and tenderness in his expression that there is no doubt he would do anything for her.

  I take another look at this talkative, tiny person. She can’t be much taller than five feet and has fiery red hair put in a braid. Everything about her is small. Her ears, nose, even her hands look tiny. She turns to survey the scene and I notice she has a small, yet slightly noticeable, baby bump.

  “Don’t listen to him. He can’t hear that well, you know, with his ears so high up.” She places her left hand on her stomach.

  “And she can’t hear anything, being so damn low to the ground.” He takes a moment to laugh at his joke and I find myself laughing with him. “By the way, my name is Matt and this little thing is Allison. We came from Robur. What about you two?”

  “My name is Elliot and her name is Jess. We came from the lake where my grandparents used to live,” I say, not wanting to fit into any predetermined notions from belonging to a territory.

  “Used to live?” Allison asks.

  “They aren’t with us anymore.” I pause to examine them closer. “Do you know what’s going on?” I blurt out.

  They exchange a look and Matt replies, “We have some ideas, but nothing for sure.”

  Should we share with them the information that Dominic told us? I don’t want them to feel threatened by the idea of my brother.

  Sensing my discomfort, Jess joins in on the conversation and asks, “How did you get your hands on one of these vehicles? They allow free travel?”

  “Yes. I was lucky and managed to get it out of Robur in time. Listen, I would love to continue this little chitchat, but we shouldn’t stay out in the open too long. Would you two care to join us for a double date?” Matt makes it seem like we’re conspiring together.

  “Do you know of a safe place?” Jess asks.

  Instead, Allison answers. “Oh yeah, it’s totally safe. We’ve been staying there since it all started.”

  She then looks between the two of us, obviously deep in thought. “Are the two of you together romantically?”

  Jess and I share a look and things immediately get awkward.

  Matt, clearly amused by the sudden change, laughs at the tension. “You’ll have to excuse her. She may have a small nose, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t just love sticking it in other people’s business.” He smiles down at her before continuing. “It isn’t that far. It’s my family’s country home.”

  I look over questioningly at Jess and she nods.

  “Sure,” I say, “We’ll come with you two. It’ll be nice to take a break from all this running.”

  “You bet, brother,” Matt says and we start making our way to the vehicle.

  With no warning, Allison stumbles and almost falls. There appears to be nothing on the ground except, well, the ground.

  When Matt sees this, he lets out another booming laugh. “Did I mention you would be traveling with a swan?”

  I open the door for Jess as we get into the backseat of the car. Getting off my foot feels absolutely amazing. It throbs and aches, but at least sharp pain is gone.

  “There’s some water in the red bag,” Allison says.

  Jess and I bump hands as we reach for the bag at the same time. I open the bottle and close my eyes in appreciation as the cool water slides down my throat.

  The moment we stop drinking, Jess says, “While I appreciate the two of you saving us, I have to ask—what’s your story?”

  Allison says, “We came here right after we got out of Robur. We barely beat the quarantine and this was the only place we could think of. We’ve been driving around finding supplies from the homes nearby.”

  “What exactly do you know about them?” Jess says.

  Matt puffs out his chest and looks meaningfully in the distance. “I’m glad you recognize us as having superior knowledge and come to us for answers.”

  “Sometimes you just have to ignore him,” Allison says. She playfully nudges Matt in the side, taking some of the severity out of the situation. �
��We don’t know that much. That’s probably not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.” She takes a deep breath. “We learned pretty early on that you have to hit the head hard enough to kill them. I’ve seen a lot of them with bite marks so we’re assuming that’s how whatever this is transfers.”

  “That’s exactly how this infection spreads,” Jess says. She’s so quiet that I almost don’t hear her. She zones out and seemingly stares at nothing. The mood of the conversation drops dramatically and I’m at a loss as to what to do. I settle on grabbing her hand. My touch seems to startle her out of her thoughts and she blinks a couple of times before refocusing back in the present.

  “My brother was a genetic engineer and spent some time researching this infection. He said it’s some disease, but that’s about all the information he shared with us,” I say. I choose to omit the reason why they smell so bad.

  “Where is your brother now?” Allison asks.

  “He’s not with us anymore,” Jess says.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss,” Allison says. She leans back to pat my shoulder lightly in reassurance.

  Jess gives me a warning look, so I follow her suggestion and let them think that my brother is dead.

  Matt clears his throat and continues the conversation. “That’s about it then. Wait. There is one more thing. Let me ask you something real quick.” He looks questioningly at both of us and doesn’t continue until I nod. “How many have you seen?”

  “Jess has seen and dealt with more than I have,” I say.

  “Not that many more,” Jess says. “It seems like for the most part there aren’t that many out here. At least until recently.”

  “Exactly. That’s what we’ve picked up on, too,” Allison says. She looks excited that Jess caught on to their train of thought.

  I still don’t understand what they’re talking about so I lean forward and raise an eyebrow in question.

  Matt reenters the conversation with a quick, low voice. “Think about it, brother. How many people live in just one territory alone?”

  I put my hands up to emphasize the high number. “Beyond count.”

  “Exactly. And that’s just in one territory. Where is everyone?”

  I let out a sigh of air when I finally understand his point. I make eye contact with Jess. She stares back with a guarded expression.

  “Are you telling me,” I say, “that you think everyone is locked up in the territories?”

  “What if there is a territory that was locked down in time? There could be a whole territory that’s completely untouched. If we could just make it there, everything would be okay. If the walls around each territory are good enough to keep them in, then surely they have the capability to keep the disease out.

  “We’re from Robur and we know that they fell. We went back there first and didn’t have to get too close to know it had been taken. Who knew something could smell that bad.” Allison shudders at the memory.

  Matt continues their theory, “After we got over the disappointment, we planned on going to Vis. If they aren’t infested they could help us. They have to have the answers. They just have to.” He finishes and looks up expectantly at Jess and me.

  For the first time in a long time, there’s a little seed of hope. Everything they say makes complete sense. Maybe everything can go back to normal again. Well, at least as close as possible. I smile over at Jess, expecting her to return my optimism. Instead, a small tear falls down her cheek.

  “Vis has been overrun. I was there when it happened,” she says. “There is nothing left in Vis except these Letum. You won’t find any answers there.”

  “What? You didn’t mention…” I begin. I knew she came from there, but I didn’t know she stayed while the territory was being overrun.

  Even though the hope of Allison and Matt’s plan is new, it still hurts when it dies. Allison closes her eyes at Jess’s announcement and Matt’s shoulders drop.

  After several moments, Jess finally says, “It wasn’t relevant then. It’s relevant now.”

  Once again, she leaves me speechless.

  Rather than focus on this new information, I decide to move the conversation on. “The only other territory is where I am from, Potentia. My brother got my mother and me out right before they shut everything down. My brother said the genetic testing facility is secure but besides that, the whole area is overrun.”

  “Well, shit,” Matt says. “There goes that idea. I guess we’re going to get to know each other a little better while we try and figure something else out.”

  “Seems like as good a plan as any,” I say through a large yawn.

  Matt chuckles and says, “Get some rest, brother. You need it.”

  Without the adrenaline propelling my body forward, my eyes drop. The pressure of Jess’s hand enclosed around mine lets the exhaustion take over.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Not much time goes by before the vehicle jerks to a stop. Jess and I rub our eyes while Matt quickly gets out of the car.

  “We’re almost there,” Allison whispers. “Matt is just opening the gate for us.”

  I sit up straighter and look out the windows. Darkness surrounds the scenery and I can’t make anything out but basic shapes of a heavy congestion of trees. Matt reenters the vehicle and drives it through the gate. Before I can offer to close the fence for him, he hops back out and takes care of it.

  Allison explains the house. “The doors and windows will all be locked, but it’s still a good idea if we take turns keeping watch. There’s a light fence around the property, but I’m not sure how much I trust it. The size of that last group was a bit alarming. Don’t worry, though, Matt and I will take watch tonight so the two of you can rest a little bit.”

  At this point, Matt gets back inside and moves the vehicle forward to park next to their house. I eye the relative safety of the property and feel such a swell of gratefulness to be alive.

  “Thanks for everything,” I say. “I can take my turn of watch starting tonight. I owe the two of you for saving us.”

  “There’s really no need. We can get it for the night,” Matt says.

  Jess inserts herself in the conversation and says, “I would feel bad if we didn’t contribute to the watch.”

  Matt and Allison exchange a glance and Allison says, “If that’s what the two of you want, I’m not going to complain about getting more sleep.”

  “It will be much easier to take turns with four people,” Matt says. He looks excited at the idea of sharing the responsibility. He examines us a little closer. “I’ll take the first watch, though.”

  I smile at his enthusiasm. “We’re happy to help.”

  Matt nods and opens his door. I take the cue and step out onto the grass. I cringe at the sharp pain in my foot and quickly glance toward Jess to see if she noticed. Her attention is focused out on the road we came in.

  “Why do you have a fence?” she asks.

  Matt and Allison exchange another glance before he answers. “This was my family’s vacation home. They strongly discouraged anyone from visiting.”

  Matt opens the front door and lets the three of us in. My eyes widen at the furnishings inside the house. They’re a lot nicer than those in our apartment in Potentia. It must have cost a lot of money for them to transport it all out here. Despite the obvious wealth associated with the house, it has a small, cozy feel that makes me want to find a bed and fall asleep.

  “I’ll give you a quick tour,” Allison says. She clearly has a higher energy level than I do right now. “Obviously, we just walked into the living room. The kitchen is connected to it. Out to the left is the backyard.” She turns in the opposite direction and leads us down a hallway. “We’ll all have to share a bathroom, but it’s at the end of this hallway.”

  “The two of you have been living here for how long?” Jess asks.

  “We came here right as everything started, hoping it would be safe. Plus, if either of our families is okay…” Allison pauses for a moment.
Her hand falls on her growing stomach and finishes, “Well, this is one of the first places they would look.”

  Allison takes a step forward and continues the tour. “Matt and I have been in the room closest to the bathroom, but either of the other two rooms is fine for you to sleep in. Extra blankets and towels are in this closet,” she says as she opens the door and reveals various supplies.

  She looks both of us up and down. “Elliot, in the room to your right, there should be some of Matt’s older clothes in the closet. They will be big for you, but at least you’ll have something clean to wear. And Jess,” she ticks her tongue in thought. “Matt has a sister that’s close to your size. Her room is just down the hall by the bathroom. Feel free to look around and get whatever fits.”

  Jess looks down at her outfit with a frown. “A change of clothes would be very nice. Thank you.”

  “Of course. Just let me know if you need anything. I’ll let the two of you get settled.” With this, she walks back down the hallway toward the living room and patio.

  I go into the closest room and glance enviously at the bed. I ignore the temptation and instead open the closet. Too exhausted to really care, I grab the first pair of shorts and shirt I see. When I turn back around, Jess is still standing in the doorway with a questioning look.

  “Do you, um, want to stay in here with me?”

  “I don’t want to sleep alone,” she replies.

  She puts her battered bag down and turns to me. “I’m going to go grab some clean clothes and take a shower. I’ll try and save some hot water for you, but no promises.”

  She winks and leaves the room.

  If she’s going to shower, then that means I have to as well. I don’t enjoy being dirty, but I’m exhausted and want to lie down and recuperate from the day. My foot is absolutely throbbing. I decide to go check up on Matt and give him some company while I wait for the shower to open up. He’s kissing Allison, so I turn my head out of respect and wait for her to pass by.