by Smith, I. J.
“COME ON! TOMMY WANTS TO SHOW YOU HIS GIFT!” Kat screamed as she dragged Jack away.
Jack glanced back to see Raven sigh with a small smile on her face. She quickly followed them, shaking her head.
Kat held Jack’s hand tightly; she led him towards a large crowd who were standing by a large blue tarpaulin. Tommy was standing in front of it, waiting for everyone to be ready. Kat let go of Jack’s hand and ran to join Tommy. Jack stood alongside Ryan. “You have any idea what this is?” Jack asked.
Ryan laughed. “You’re kidding me, if I told you Kat would kick my ass!”
Jack gently nudged him in a friendly gesture. Raven came to stand beside Jack, they glanced at each other, but never spoke. Raven slowly moved her hand and locked her fingers into his. Jack did not move, instead he gripped her hand.
Tommy began to speak. “OK! You all know I am not much of a fighter, I cannot cook. In fact, I am terrible at most things.” These words caused Kat to place her hand on his shoulder and rub it. Tommy smiled. “But, there is one thing I am good at and that’s remembering.”
Jack looked confused, when Tommy and Kat pulled off the blue tarpaulin to reveal a large white rock. Letting go of Raven’s hand, he stepped forward to see the engravings on the rock. Jack expression turned to one of sadness, he could be seen holding back his emotion.
Raven and Ryan along with everyone else looked at the names engraved.
At the top of the rock were the engraved words. THEY SURVIVE IN OUR HEARTS.
Jack stepped closer, the name right at the top catching his eye. ELLE AND THE CHILD OF TRUE LOVE.
Raven stepped back, Ryan placed his arm around Jack. The names continued listing all those lost to this cruel world. Tommy walked over to Jack. “I hope this is OK?” Jack looked at him; he paused for a moment before throwing his arms around Tommy and hugging him tight. “It’s beautiful!” Jack whispered into Tommy’s ear.
As the group looked around at the dedication to the fallen, Raven wandered alone; away from everyone.
“Not one for parties?” Jacob asked.
He was standing watch at the gate. Raven smiled and walked over to him.
“It is fine, just lost the mood!”
Jacob took a long drink from a flask. “Yeah, you and Jack looked cozy!”
Raven looked at the ground. “We’re just friends, he is not over someone else.”
Jacob looked up at the sky. “You see the stars?” He asked.
Raven frowned as she looked up. “Erm, yeah!”
“Jack is like a star, he shines. But from time to time it disappears behind a cloud and you lose sight.”
Looking confused, Jacob gave a wide beautiful smile. “You see, Jack will always be there, like the star. But sometimes you lose sight of him.” He moved closer to her. “What I am saying is, give him time and he will show himself openly to you.”
Raven chuckled. “That is one way to explain it.”
“Well, I have been on the hooch!”
The music changed, Raven recognized the song from her favorite film, Footloose.
As the tune echoed out, ‘FAKE ID!”
“Go and dance!” Jacob told her.
She walked away, as she approached everyone; she could see Kat dragging Jack to dance. Raven smiled as she watched him try to fight it. Suddenly Tommy grabbed her hand and dragged her in; the terrible attempt at a line dance was comical. The sound of laughter echoed out. Children rushed around enjoying the music and food.
Taylor and Brian were stood by a make shift barbecue pit, they were cooking slices of rabbit they had caught the day before, especially for the event. They were joined by Craig. Brian turned and gave a giggle to see the spots of white paint covering his face.
“Hey guys!” Craig said nervously.
Truth was they had hardly spoken since the event in the barn some weeks back. Craig felt guilty about his comment regarding their sexuality. Many times, he had attempted to apologize, but nothing felt right, he could just never find the words.
Taylor stared at him, he was the one who had found it harder to forgive Craig. Brian however was more forgiving, he wanted his friend back and knew that it was just fear that made Craig say such harsh words.
They stood silent for a moment, Craig was about to walk away when Taylor spoke out.
“Hungry?”
Craig looked almost emotional, unable to talk due to the lump in the back of his throat; he nodded in response. Taylor took a small strip of meat, he held it with a knife toward Craig.
“Sorry, we don’t have any bread.”
Craig smiled wide, taking the meat that was hot in his fingers. He could barely place it in his mouth. He gasped for cool air. Taylor and Brian laughed, quickly followed by Craig.
As the cheers from the party continued a voice suddenly shouted out.
“THEY’RE BACK!” Jacob shouted from the gate.
Jack was dancing with Jennifer when he heard the shout. He looked down at her, he could see the look in her eyes. She was missing her father. As everyone ran to the gate to greet those returning, Jack kneeled down to face Jennifer.
“I promise, he will be back soon.”
Jennifer threw her arms around him and held him tight.
“JACK! GET OVER HERE NOW!” Jacob screamed.
Jack looked around to see Rain. “Rain, take Jennifer and the kids inside.” He knew there was something wrong. As Rain took the kids away, Jack walked towards the gates, he could hear the commotion as he approached.
Jack worked his way through the crowd; he could see Ryan holding Sarah against the car shouting at her. “WHERE IS SHE?” He kept demanding to know.
Looking at the car, Jack could see small holes scattered all over it. He knew straight away they were bullet holes. Rushing forward he pulled Ryan off Sarah.
“That’s not helping!”
Jack was quick to notice only Sarah was there. “Adam and Zoe?” he asked. He was expecting the answer that they were dead.
“They were taken, I just made it out!” Sarah replied.
Sarah rushed to the back door of the car. Opening the door Jack noticed Paige lying on the backseat covered in blood.
“QUICKLY!” Sarah said.
Jack rushed to pick up Paige, she whined in pain. He hurriedly carried her towards Banks’ lab. Banks was quick to rush over to him and help him into the room, they laid Paige on a table. Jack stroked her face, she gasped for breath, he dark eyes locking onto Jack.
“Banks, please help her!”
“I’m not a vet, I don’t know if I can!” He replied.
Raven was behind them. “Lisa!” She said.
“There is a survivor here called Lisa, she used to be a vet. I was speaking with her a few days ago,” Raven rushed out of the room to find her.
Ryan walked in. “Jack, we need to go find Zoe and Adam.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, load the weapons into the 4x4. You, me, and Sarah only!”
Raven rushed back into the room with a blonde lady. She looked at Paige on the table. She rushed to her side. Jack looked at her, “Help her, Please!”
Jack leaned down and kissed Paige on the face. “You fight!” He whispered to her.
Walking out, Jack looked determined. Sarah was waiting outside. “Come on!” He told her. “I want to know everything that happened.”
Raven rushed to his side. “I’m coming!”
“No!” He snapped.
“Not up for debate,” Kat suddenly said as she joined them.
Jack was in no mood to argue. Ryan was waiting with the 4x4, as they joined him; Jacob rushed over to them.
“No!” Jack said to stop him.
Pulling Jacob to one side, “I need you to stay here. You’re in charge. This could be Oasis making a move.” Jack told him. “Get everyone ready.”
Jack, Sarah, Raven, and Kat joined Ryan in the 4x4. Tommy opened the gates and the black 4x4 raced away.
CHAPTER THREE
UNKNOWN
A few hours ea
rlier….
The small green car drove through the remains of ground zero. The buildings were mostly destroyed from military bombs to slow the outbreak. The place was lifeless, the roads blocked by burnt-out cars and rubble from the collapsed buildings. Several times they had to stop and reverse to find another route.
“We’re not going to find anything out here, are we?” Zoe asked.
Adam was driving and looked over at her. “I doubt there is anything left out here.”
Sarah sat in the back with Paige, sleeping beside her. She looked out the window. “I remember seeing when this happened,” She muttered quietly.
Adam glanced over his shoulder. “WAIT! You witnessed this?” He asked.
Looking shocked, Adam was keen on knowing what happened.
“I was travelling with Raven; you both know she comes from Gosport, right?” Sarah asked them before she continued. “We were escaping a group of soldiers who were killing anything that moved. Out of fear, I guess. We were speeding away on a boat and that was when we saw it.” She went silent for a moment. “The jets came overhead and they dropped the bombs. There would have been survivors but, the place just lit up in flames. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen.” Looking upset, Sarah stopped talking and looked out the window as the car continued to move slowly forward.
There was an awkward silence in the car; Zoe was the first to break the silence. “So, Raven came from here? I never knew that!”
“She worked at a hospital here,” Sarah replied.
The silence began again.
“How did you two meet anyway?” Adam asked.
Before Sarah could reply, the sudden sound of banging distracted them.
“OH SHIT!” Zoe screamed.
Bullets sprayed through the air, hitting the car. The windscreen soon shattered. Adam managed to spin the car around and speed off. As they reached the end of the road, they became trapped by rubble.
“FUCK!”
Adam turned the car again and put his foot down, as the bullets continued to fly. Suddenly, they felt a tire explode and the car spun, smashing into the rubble.
Sarah reached for their rifles. Adam kicked the windscreen out and grabbed a rifle from Sarah. He began shooting, “Get out!” He told the others.
Zoe managed to push the door open, but bullets kept hitting it; making it impossible for her to run to safety. Paige began to bark in panic. Sarah forced her door open; she climbed out with Paige running behind her. She made it to the other side of the street with Paige; she dropped to her knee and gave cover fire.
“Crazy bitch!” Adam muttered as he watched Zoe run.
Adam climbed through the broken windscreen, he continued to fire the entire time. As he jumped down from the car, he felt a sharp stab of a bullet hitting his shoulder; he fell back against the car. Zoe tried to rush around to Adam, but was surrounded by bullets. She had no choice but to stop and drop her gun. She glanced over at Sarah.
“RUN!” She screamed at Sarah.
Adam tried to get back to his feet, but felt another stab in his leg. Sarah had no choice. She looked at her fallen friend and knew she had to run for help. She guided Paige over the debris into a half-collapsed building.
As the loose debris rumbled and crumbled under her feet, Sarah slipped and rolled, with the stone scratching her face on the way down. Hitting the ground, she dropped her gun. Sarah looked up just in time to see the decaying, maggot-infested face of a man lunge at her. Sarah was unable to move in time, but Paige rushed and jumped at the zombie; knocking the decaying corpse to the ground. Sarah managed to reach out, and grabbing a loose rock, she smashed it into the zombie’s head. Its head cracked like an egg, blood and brain matter sprayed out.
Paige walked over to Sarah, pushing her head against her. Sarah stroked Paige’s head and kissed her.
“Good girl!”
With the echo sound of people talking grabbing her attention; Sarah grabbed her gun and moved carefully and quietly towards a crack in the debris, she looked through to see the terror.
Sarah watched as four people appeared. Everyone was wearing black uniforms and body armor, they all carried rifles and side-arms. She watched as a bald, clean shaven man stepped towards Adam.
“Now look what we have here!” He stated.
A blonde female in uniform spoke out. “Ricky, this one has no blood!”
The bald man glanced at her; he looked on as his soldier stood in front of Zoe. “Sara, I am sure you can change that.”
Sara smiled as she kicked Zoe in the stomach, and fell to the ground. Zoe tried to stand but was kicked in the head, leaving her unconscious.
Ricky and the others laughed. “You Motherfuckers!” Adam screamed.
“Aww, don’t worry. We’re not going to leave you out!” Ricky replied. He then stamped his foot into Adam’s face. Ricky watched with a smile as blood sprayed out from Adam’s busted nose.
Sarah and Paige had to move, as she stepped back a few smaller stones fell. “Oh, shit!” She muttered.
Ricky was quick to react. “Tom, Daniel go find the other one. Now!” He ordered as he heard the stones falling. He dragged Adam up from the ground; Sara Backhouse held a small gun to Zoe’s head and forced her towards a black 4x4.
Tom and Daniel rushed over the rubble to look for the third person. Sarah and Paige were already rushing away. She worked her way to the back of the building, Paige stayed behind her. She reached the back; a large metal door was hanging from the hinges. She looked up and noticed the concrete ceiling was on the verge of collapse, only a small bar that was pinned between the floor and ceiling was holding it up.
Sarah began to squeeze through the small gap in the wall when a sudden gunshot flew past her head. She stopped and raised her hands; she turned to see two men standing there dressed in black with their guns pointed at her.
Paige began to growl; Tom looked at the dog and laughed, “SHUT IT!” he shouted as he fired his gun at her. The sudden whimpering of Paige echoed around the building. “NO!”
Sarah suddenly kicked out at the small bar that supported the ceiling. As the bar flew through the air, the ceiling started to collapse. Concrete stone began to fall to the floor. Sarah rolled Paige into her arms and made a quick getaway.
Tom and Daniel quickly rushed back the way they came.
Now outside, Paige was whining in pain. Blood was soaking Sarah’s clothes as she carried Paige away. “Hold on, please hold on!” Sarah begged Paige.
Suddenly the sound of vehicles echoed around her, she could tell they were driving away. Sarah waited for the noise of engines to grow distant. Still carrying Paige, she made her way round back to the car. Sarah looked all around and the area was clear, only the sight of a few zombies in the distant; that she could see moving. She rushed to the car, placed Paige carefully in the back seat. Sarah hoped the car would still start, thankfully it did. Carefully, she drove away. The blown-out tire made it hard to steer and sparks from the rim could be seen. But Sarah had no choice and made her way back to the fort.
On a rooftop, Ricky stood with Sara Backhouse. “We really letting her go?” She asked.
Ricky smiled. “She’s not the prize; I want to meet the Reaper.”
∞
Nearby in an empty warehouse, Zoe and Adam were surrounded by armed guards. Zoe was allowed to patch Adam up; she had used rags to help slow the bleeding.
Five people in black uniforms surrounded them. A door suddenly opened and in walked Ricky and Sara.
“My guests, I hope my people are treating you right!” Ricky asked.
Adam tried to push Zoe behind him. “Who the fuck are you?” He asked.
“Well, I lead this little group. Have done for many years.” Ricky walked over and kneeled in front of Adam. “We are The Black Angels, you got the money and we fight for you!”
“Mercenaries!” Adam replied.
The blonde Sara stepped forward. “Mercenaries! Nah, they don’t get the cash we do!”
Zoe l
ooked at them both. “What do you want from us?”
Ricky smiled. “Just to hear you scream.” Ricky stood up and walked away. “The truth is; our employer does not give a shit about you. They want Sgt. Jack Mason.”
Adam glanced at Zoe. “You have the wrong people; the Jack Mason in our group was a Lance-Corporal. I know that, I read his file.”
Ricky gave Adam a wide smile. He walked over to a tall man, with long greasy hair and eyes as black as night. He tapped him on the back and pulled a picture from his pocket.
“Meyers, is this SGT. JACK MASON?” He asked.
Looking at the picture Meyers answered, “That’s the fucker!”
Ricky showed the Adam and Zoe the picture. They both were shocked, it was their Jack Mason. Adam was really shocked; he thought he knew everything about Jack. He was wrong.
“Ricky pointed at his prisoners. “Now, who do I pick first?” He asked.
“Leave her alone, just kill me!” Adam replied.
Ricky applauded. “OH YES! THIS MAN WANTS A SOLDIER’S HONOR!”
The rest of the Black Angels started cheering. Zoe glanced at Adam, “What is that?”
Adam struggled through the pain and got to his feet and approached Ricky. “What is a soldier’s honor?”
Ricky smiled. “Simple, beat me and you both go free!”
Zoe rushed to her feet and pulled Adam back. “He’s injured! Go fuck yourself!”
Before Ricky could reply, Sara grabbed Zoe around her throat. Zoe was shocked by Sara’s strength as she was pulled back and held tightly by the throat. “Shut up!” Sara whispered to her as she pulled and held a knife to her face.
Adam looked at Zoe, before turning his attention back to Ricky. “How can I trust your team will let her go?”
Ricky laughed and held his arms out. “Babe, we are The Black Angels. We live on honor!”
Adam nodded; he limped as he moved forward. Blood still ran slow down his leg and arm. He stood close to Ricky and without a second to think he punched him in the face. Ricky barely moved, he raised his hand to touch his face. He looked at his fingers and smiled as he looked at the small amount of blood.