by B. Buechter
Two levels below, Jake and Tommy were still afraid that Eva had been killed in the final gun battle. Tommy cried silently as the dragging footsteps stopped at the doorway to the basement and slowly unlatched the lock. Jake’s chest felt like it was going to collapse. With each step, he wanted to scream for help, but bit his tongue. The light shined on them as they both threw their hands up in the air in surrender. That was when they heard Eva’s laughter.
“Relax guys,” she said. “It’s only me.”
Jake was both relieved and irked, “How can you be laughing at a time like this? You just killed people.” He pointed to the gray shirt underneath her jacket.
Eva noticed that she was covered in a little blood, “They were going to kill you because someone couldn’t keep quiet.”
“Well there are bodies over there.” Jake changed the subject. “When we backed up against the wall. I knocked over a metal chair.”
Her nose had grown numb to the smell of decay over time, but she decided to investigate. When Jake and Tommy started to follow her, she put her hand up in protest, telling them she would call them if it was safe. In reality, she wasn’t sure how gruesome the scene would be. The moment she cast her light on the other side of the room, her worst fears were confirmed.
She shook her head and her mouth became dry. “You don’t want to come over here.”
“Why not?” Jake called back. “There are dead bodies upstairs, too.”
“Fine then,” she spat. “If you think your stomach can take it.”
Jake instantly heaved up whatever food was left in his stomach and his eyes widened in horror. Tommy was holding onto his brother’s arm but shielded his nose with his shirt. For a moment, the three stood motionless in the blood-soaked room. Eva could not even muster the words to describe how she felt.
A row of Rovers, half-decomposed, were collapsed in the corner. Men, women, and children looked as though they were forced to face the basement wall and executed. Near the stairs, a few women of various ages with torn clothing lay motionless. Same cause of death, bullet holes in their skulls. Brown blood stained the floor and walls. The part that stood out the most, though, was a young child who looked as though he did not succumb to his wounds right away, used his blood to write on the wall. Just one word was painted on the concrete - Serpents.
“This is just a taste of what they can do.” Eva choked back the lump in her throat. “What they have done. What they will do.”
Jake did not dare make eye contact with her. She hid her face with her hood while both brothers were glued to the scene. “This is what you are protecting the Rovers from?”
“Yeah,” she said. “And it could be the same fate that your friends may have met. This Gang was where they were taken before being traded for goods.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“The Serpents are the largest one in the area, first of all. Their largest trade good are people. They sell women and girls forced as Doxies and men and boys as Bondsmen. Second. I found a map and a note that led me to you.”
“Bondsmen and Doxies?”
“Doxies are pleasure servants. Bondsmen are laborers. Either way, the death toll is high.”
Silence again. Jake did not even want to glance up from the bodies. Tommy teared up. Eva put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. She wanted to keep them from witnessing such a display of the Gang’s cruelty but knew that they would see it eventually. After a couple moments, she turned on her heels and went upstairs.
“You have to learn to be hard in this world,” she said to them as they began to follow. “You have to make a choice each time you wake up - to survive or die.”
That was the last time they spoke for a while. The sun was rising over the horizon, but they were able to sleep for a few more hours among the bodies. Jake and Tommy struggled with the scene below their feet still fresh in their minds. When they finally did get some rest, Eva woke them and continued on their journey to the Rover colony.
Throughout the rest of the day’s walk, Jake tried to ask questions, but Eva’s mind was fixated elsewhere. She pondered the reasons why she remained alone. For so many years, she chose who she wanted to save. Her only responsibility was to herself. Everything else was out of kindness and courage. Over time, she tried to become numb to the middle-of-the-night raids. The countless screams that still haunted her every step. She reminded herself that self-preservation was every survivor’s primary goal. Even still, she refused to talk about her life before the colony. She could never relive that.
“Eva.” Jake waved his hand in front of her face. She jumped backwards and nearly punched him.
“What?” she yelled. “We aren’t in danger.”
“No,” Jake said slowly. “But is this the colony?”
“Obviously,” she responded.
Truthfully, she did not realize how long she was ensnared by her thoughts. The sun already started to set in the distance. The Rovers would be eating soon. Eva led the brothers to her home and removed her jacket, disguise, and pack. Before she left, she grabbed the journal near her bed.
“Eva,” one of the cooks called. Rovers filled the hall, talking and laughing. “Who are these kids?”
“Survivors from the Vault,” she responded. “The only survivors.”
Jake and Tommy felt uncomfortable. They rolled their shoulders and kept their eyes on their feet. Other Rovers who were queuing had overheard the question. They stared at the two newest members of their colony. Even though their welcome was warming, the brothers were still wary.
Jake cleared his throat and looked up at the man. “We are the only two left. The rest were taken or killed. We hid in an air vent.”
“Sorry to hear that,” the cook shook his head. Others around him expressed faces of pity. “Bad bit of luck there. But, that’s life.”
Jake was offended at the lack of empathy. The screams of his friends forever ingrained in his brain. They had lost everything. He and Tommy had hidden for hours while the footsteps, gunshots, and cries for help rang through the corridors. And then, they were saved by a bloodthirsty woman. Eva was so cold in her view of death. She killed with ease and no second thought. But it seemed like the Rovers also shared the same outlook.
Eva jerked Jake back into reality when she shoved him a plate of food. She threw her hood over her head and marched over to her table in the corner. When Jake and Tommy started to follow her, the cook stopped them.
“She prefers to eat alone,” he said and nodded his head towards another table.
Jake was annoyed. “Really?”
“Yeah kid,” the cook pointed his ladle at him. “Know your place here. We are lucky to have someone as skilled as that woman. She has saved all of us at one time or another. Respect is something hard to earn these days, but she has all of ours here. You need to learn respect for her too. She lived a much harder life than either of you could ever understand.”
Those within earshot of the conversation turned their attention to the boys. Younger Rovers smiled sympathetically, but the Elders shook their head in disdain. Tommy elbowed his brother in the side and walked over to a table by himself, silent as usual. Jake followed, embarrassed. When he looked over at Eva, her back was turned to the rest of the room and she was scribbling in her journal.
I have no clue what the hell I got myself into. I found survivors - two brothers. Doubt they have ever TOUCHED a weapon before. Never seen death. We found what looked like an execution of Rovers in a Post near The Blooded Row. I don’t think the older one trusts me even after I saved his life and killed five gang members. So I save their asses and they get mad? If I hear any more of this crap, I’m leaving them to fend for themselves.
Apparently, their father left their vault a few years back. They asked if I could help them find him, but he is likely dead. I’ve agreed to teach them how to survive. My plan is to let them find him alone. I will NEVER go back into one of those compounds as long as I live.
Eva closed her journal and shoved it ba
ck into her pocket with her pencil. As she started to eat, she reached in her pocket and pulled it back out. She had forgotten to read the next entry from the Old Times.
We no longer have news. We heard the explosions above and felt the ceiling shake. Radio is now all static and the TV stations are dead. It must be really bad. More than one bomb. The last thing we were able to hear on the radio was that this was happening all over the globe. New York City, Washington DC, and a couple cities in California were now craters filled with nuclear radiation. Other countries had already been wiped off the map before we were hit. I don’t know how many survivors are going to be left after this, but we will have to rebuild this world. My kids haven’t stopped crying. My wife and I can’t sleep. Her parents haven’t said a word since we got down here. They are all scared. And truthfully, I’m scared too… terrified…
The last sentence caused Eva’s hair to stand on end. She finished her meal and stared at her journal while drinking from a tin cup. She listened to the noises behind her. The bustle of people filing in and talking with their friends and family. The smell of cooked food and fire burning. This colony was safe for the night. Just as she went to turn around back to her seclusion, she saw one of the Elders hobbling her way.
“Eva,” he bowed his head. “You will be training those two brothers, yes? They need to contribute.”
She made a fist and put it over her chest in respect. “Yes. I plan on taking them to the city and giving them survival tests. Then, we will see what they want to contribute.”
“Stealth and scavenging,” he offered.
“Yes,” she nodded.
“Hopefully they can become productive members here. Otherwise, they will just become a burden.”
“Agreed. But we both know that I won’t allow that to happen. I’ll have our weapons woman create something for them. I haven’t trained anyone in a while, so we shall see how it goes.”
The Elder nodded and limped back to his table. Rovers began leaving the food hall in groups after cleaning their dishes. Jake and Tommy had been joined at their table by a young couple and their two children. The woman was the colony’s weapons maker and the man was a farmer. Eva handed her plate to the two Rovers who were cleaning and thanked them for another meal. As the brothers caught her eye, they joined her near the front door. They waited until the weapons-maker finished the meal with her family and stopped her as she was leaving.
“Wanderer?” She bowed with a fist on her chest. “What is it that my family can do for you?”
“I require two weapons for these boys,” she pointed to Jake and Tommy. “If you have the time to complete them by midday tomorrow.”
“Of course I can! I haven’t had a chance to make weapons recently. We haven’t a need for battle lately.”
“A good thing,” her husband added. “We haven’t lost many Rovers since the summer. Winter will be upon us soon, though. Crops will be scarce, but the Gangs will not venture out as far or as frequently then.”
Eva agreed and thanked them, whisking the brothers back to the street. It was now well past dark, the sun replaced by twinkling stars. The earlier storms had cleared and the night was crisp and cool. A slight breeze brushed against them and rustled the trees close by. Behind a few shacks, Eva could see an owl perched on a tree, hooting softly.
“It’s beautiful,” Jake was tearing up. His face was aglow against the luminous sky. Eva opened her mouth to respond sarcastically, but remembered that neither of them had ever seen the sky before.
“It is the only thing left that is beautiful in this world,” Eva said, now admiring the moon. Tommy walked ahead of them, out of earshot.
“Not the only thing.” Jake didn’t know exactly why he had said that, but his face felt hot.
Eva’s face was obscured by the darkness and her hood, but she felt herself blush and tucked her hair behind an ear. She had not been complimented in years, and admittedly, she was somehow flattered. They walked back to her home. The brothers made their beds near the back of the building while Eva stayed in her room. With a belly full of food, Jake and Tommy were fast asleep. Eva spent a few minutes thinking about her life before the colony. The torture she endured as a child. Thoughts of her past formed visions of terror as she slept.
Chapter 3
Waking up in a cold sweat was a regular occurrence for Eva. The nightmares only worsened with age, haunting the darkness behind her eyes. The visions always felt so real. Every slash of a whip, every fist in her face. Memories that were only repressed in the daylight let loose when she fell into unconsciousness. However, her torturers never bore a face - only black pits where their heads would be. And each time she tried to fight back, the scene would become more painful. It was only when she awoke that she was granted some relief. This time, though, Jake was standing over her. Out of reflex, she ripped a small knife out from under her pillow and pointed it at him. He stumbled back with his hands in the air.
“It’s me,” he said frantically. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. You spent a lot of the night cringing and gasping.”
“Fine,” she could barely hear him over a high-pitched whining in her ears. “I’m fine.”
Her chest was glistening with droplets of sweat, rising and falling with each labored breath. She shooed Jake from the room and took a moment to calm herself. The room felt like it was spinning. Her hands were shaking. She forced the lingering, horrific images out of her head. Jake popped his head back in the room while she mopped up her sweat with a rag.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked.
That was when he caught a glimpse of the caged monster within her.
She stood up and threw her arms out. A few veins in her face pulsed. “I.. am.. Fine!” she yelled. “What do you not get about that? It’s not like you would understand anyway. So leave me alone.”
The pure rage that flickered in her eyes for a moment petrified Jake. He wondered whether the last thing her victims ever saw was that look on her face. It made him recall the night at The Post. Eva’s voice, completely calm, before she pulled the trigger. He shivered. It seemed to him that every waking moment for her was filled with the intention of ending someone’s life.
Momentarily, she thought Jake was part of her night terror. Through the haze, she imagined attacking him as one of her enemies. If Tommy hadn’t peeked his head in behind his brother, perhaps she would have done something unspeakable. It took a moment for her to wake up completely. Jake dropped his shoulders and backed out of the doorway. Tommy remained. She did not stray from her threatening stance. Rather than speaking, he walked over and grabbed her by the hand. She jumped a little but did not pull away. He looked over and smiled.
Eva was speechless. She didn’t know how to react. An unfamiliar emotion tried to blossom within her, but confusion snuffed it. Her heart softened for this peaceful boy. It may have been his forced smile that melted her. Or perhaps it was his soft, innocent eyes. She couldn’t help but smile back.
“Time to get you both trained.” She sat up next to Tommy who nodded excitedly. “You seem to be in higher spirits about this than your brother.”
Tommy shrugged.
After Eva allowed Jake to return and shared a meal with the brothers, they set off for the city. Her palms were still clammy, but the trembling had stopped. A dark, hooded figure noiselessly floated out of the corner of her view. When she whipped her head around, there was nothing. Maybe her mind was playing tricks, but the undeniable feeling of dread felt all too real. Before either Jake or Tommy noticed her locked gaze at the empty doorway, Eva secured her blades around her back and pushed them out the door. She turned back one last time towards her room, just to be sure that the shadow was gone.
They were welcomed by the sun, warming the horizon as white clouds drifted in front of it. Dew-dipped grass glittered beneath the three pairs of feet. As they neared the last few homes of Rovers, Eva noticed two new weapons leaning against one of the buildings. They had been fashioned from the old stre
et signs nearby. The smaller of the two, which read “Main Street”, was sharpened into a blade, pointed at the end and a handle wrapped in thick leather. The other was an entire “STOP” sign with jagged edges cut into either side. The pole was utilized as the handle and covered in the same hide.
Neither of the brothers went to grab their weapon at first. “Go ahead,” she crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Let’s go.”
Tommy ran up to the smaller knife and held it in his hand. It was the perfect size to use it with ease and sharp enough to slice through bone. Jake picked up his axe and slashed the air in a downward motion. He was surprised by the weight, but using it did not feel natural. It was plain to see that neither he nor his brother had ever touched, let alone used a weapon before. Jake expressed his discomfort.
“So when do we get guns?” He kept his eyes focused on the hilt of his new weapon. Tommy punched him in the side.
Eva took a deep breath and shook her head. “The Gangs have almost every single firearm in the region. Long ago, when they ransacked the Rover and Nomad colonies, they robbed us of every last gun and every bit ammunition they could find. If you refused to give it up… well… you can guess what happened. And the only reason we have a few here is because I took them from the Gangs’ corpses.”
“Oh,” Jake tightened the grip on his weapon and strode towards the crumbling skyline. Eva followed after him, Tommy catching up soon after. When the Rover colony had disappeared behind them, Eva decided to prepare the boys for the two tests she had planned.
“You will be split up.” That comment struck Jake like a brick. “I want to test your individual skills. You will be scavenging for necessities. So, I’m leaving it up to you to decide what you consider necessities. Then, you will bring me the most useful items you can find. Just a few, so don’t fill your pockets with junk to try and win…”