by B. Buechter
“Long ago,” she said as they hopped through an old broken window. “Our ancestors here created these pathways to traverse the entire city. Most of the paths go through these old buildings. But the Gangs no longer know this. Only the Nomads continued the tales.”
“There they are!” Bullets pelted into a brick wall nearby. The Tigers had caught up to them. How did they find us? Eva nudged the boys further toward the southern outskirts. She guided them through a few small spaces so the Tigers lost their trail. The three of them pushed themselves to travel well into the night without food or rest. They were starving, tired, and cold. As they journeyed on, the city’s high walls disappeared and they stood at the edge of the region.
Overlooking an old neighborhood was a haze of light in the distance. The fog had risen above their heads, transforming into opaque, low-hanging clouds. It pressed its light against the gray above, flickering like lighting. And yet, the glow was steady enough not to come from a thunderstorm. It was a civilization.
“Is it a Gang?” Tommy asked.
“I-I don’t know,” Eva replied. They were being drawn to the light like bugs to a flame over the horizon. “But maybe they’re harmless.”
That moment was when she realized how much these two siblings had changed her. Before, as the lonely Wanderer, death from starvation would have been a ‘safer bet’ than waltzing into an unknown town. They had softened her, warmed her heart, and gave her hope. She still bore the skills, but no longer the stubbornness. She smiled at them and started down the street towards the glow in the distance. That was when Jake spotted the sign. It looked like it had been made only days before. The blue paint was still bright, not completely dry, and the wood that was used was freshly cut.
Rapture Welcomes The Wanderer
“Now if that isn’t a sign,” Jake put a hand on Eva’s shoulder, breathing heavily from exhaustion and pain. “I don’t know what is.”
“Under any other circumstances I would be hesitant.” She looked back at the city. It looked desolate, but she knew that it was crawling with Tigers. “But death will come to us if we go back. Death will come if we do nothing. And, to be honest, death may come if we follow this sign. But we have a better chance of living if we go with the third option.”
About a mile now stood between them and the source of the light. Sudden waves of euphoria lifted their heels with each step closer. Thoughts of mouth-watering meals. Plates, overflowing with meats, vegetables, and fruit. Kind, hospitable people showing them to warm beds near a crackling fire. A place to raise a family. All of those images faded when they reached the foreboding walls.
Rapture looked eerily similar to a compound. Walls of stone towered higher than Eva had ever seen but not one string of barbed wire crowned the top. There were guard towers, but they seemed rarely used. Only small slots through the immense door acted as windows inside the unknown. But when Eva peered into one of them, she was met with a pair of eyes staring right back at her. She jumped backwards.
“Who are you three?” A male voice came from the other side. “State your names or move along.”
“This is Jake and Tommy.” Eva paused. Pondering how to address herself. She bit her lip and answered. “And I am Eva. I am The Wanderer. We seek asylum here, if you would take us.”
“Show me your blades,” demanded the voice. “If you are who you say you are.”
Eva took a step back. Jake and Tommy watched in anticipation as she reached up. Her hands caressed the leather and steel hilts, unchanged since she had first become their owner. A shiver ran up her spine when the metallic sound of unsheathing them reached her ears. She held one out at either side of her body, waiting for a reply. It was silent.
“Please,” she said, looking over her shoulder to see whether she was being watched. “This man is injured and we are being hunted by a Gang from the north. We came across your sign. Can you help us?”
They heard one pair of footsteps leave for a moment. Then, three or four pairs clicked on cobblestone back to the door. Eva could feel them watching her. She could hear their whispers. Looking at her beloved Jake, shivering and becoming more pale with each passing moment, she felt her face get hot with frustration.
“Let us in,” she demanded. Her voice became frantic and loud. “I will not have someone I love die in front of me while you continue to ponder who I am. Some know me as, One who walks in shadow behind footprints of blood. If you’ve heard this, then you should be well aware that I will stop at nothing to get care and food for us.”
The massive metal doors swung wide open and a small group of armor-clad warriors smiled at them. Eva almost dropped her blades at the sight before them. Jake and Tommy stood at either side, mouths agape. An entire civilization, larger than they had ever seen, was before them.
“Welcome Wanderer,” said the guard with the most intricate armor. “We have been watching you… watching and waiting for you to join us.”
Eva looked at Jake and Tommy as they stepped inside. As the doors closed behind them, they took one last look at the life they had lived. Not one of them knew what Rapture had in store for them, but at least they would be together.
The Wanderer turned to the massive gates as they shut and saw her Shadow. It flickered, but did not disappear. She swallowed the lump in her throat as the face of McAvoy, stolen from this demon, revealed it’s pointed teeth in a terrifying smile. It mouthed the words “I will be back.” The doors closed as it finally dissolved from sight. But, much to Eva’s dismay, the feeling of unease lingered.
***
Some of the Tigers doubled back to the compound after losing sight of The Wanderer and McAvoy’s sons. A high-ranked member of the Gang marched up the stairs of The Castle to the Chief’s chambers. Bondsmen and Doxies were cleaning up the battle and bodies were being dragged out of the room and down the hall to be buried. Bullet holes splintered the wood-paneled walls and the floor was stained red. Only one remnant of The Wanderer remained, her gun. The guard tossed his slinged rifle over his shoulder and picked up the handgun. It had one round left in the chamber.
The Doxies remained silent as another set of footsteps entered the room. The man stood up with his back facing the doorway as his comrade entered. She was his equal of sorts, skilled not in taking lives, but saving them. He posed a question although he was afraid of the answer.
“Is he gonna make it?”
Her words were stern, but honest. “Not sure. But he is asking for you by name, Ian. You are next in line if he doesn’t.”
Ian nodded at the Healer who led him to the room across the hall. The sign that read Wives had been broken in the battle. While she opened the door, Ian wiped the blood from Eva’s gun and stepped inside.
All of Chief McAvoy’s wives were sitting in their beds, whispering to one another or weeping softly. The murmurs stopped when Ian entered the room, but continued as he walked down the pathway between two rows of beds. At the far end were three more healers standing over a pale figure. His chest was wrapped in gauze and linen. When Ian, the next-highest ranked Tiger, stepped to the side of the Chief’s bed, Dan McAvoy turned his head.
His irises were still icy blue, but his face had been drained of almost all its color. His complexion was white as a ghost and dark shadows formed under his puffy red eyes. Even though he was far too injured to sit up, he forced words out from his wounded lungs.
“I will not let her win,” he coughed. “She and her tyranny will be vanquished.”
“Sir.” The Tiger placed her gun on the bed near his hand. “Her gun. It has only one bullet left.”
“How quaint,” a malicious smile crossed his lips. He wrapped his hand around the handle weakly. “To end The Wanderer’s life with her own bullet. How great a story this will be.”