Rage: A Story of Survival

by Greene, Dane

  The Palemen are easy prey, since they’re kneeling. By the time they notice me and Brian, we’re only a few feet away. My hatchet lodges into the first Paleman’s head before he can respond. Brian pins the second Paleman to the ground with his boot, then wraps the wire around his neck. I watch the two struggle, ready to interfere if Brian loses control. He doesn’t, and after a moment, the Paleman stops moving, and Brian steps off the creature.

  “Aaron, behind you,” Brian says, pointing. I turn around to see that the Paleman I used my hatchet on is still alive. It must not have made it all the way through his skull. He’s crawling toward me, but I’m not afraid. As I move to the Paleman’s side, intending to finish him off, I hear him let out a moan. Dismissing it as a dying creature’s sound, I ignore it until the man moves toward me. Startled, I jump back. My curiosity demands I examine this further, but I realize that the hiding child must be terrified.

  Taking a quick peek at the girl, I see that she’s still hiding in the bush, and I also see that she has her eyes covered. Wanting to help her, I decide to finish off the Paleman. My knife slams into his neck, and the Paleman’s life spills onto the ground. After I’m sure he’s dead, I pull my weapons from the creature and clean them on the ground.

  With the creature gone, I walk over to the girl, joined by the others.

  “Hey there. I’m sorry if we scared you, but it’s safe to come out now if you want.” As I say this, I look at the little girl, and I see that she’s frightened. How can I blame her for being scared? She can’t be older than ten or eleven. For a second, I think she’s going to refuse to come out, but then she gets out and comes toward me. She starts crying, and before I can react, she runs and wraps her arms around me. Not knowing what else to do, I pick her up and hold her in my arms, letting her cry into my shoulder.

  “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay now. You’re safe. I’m going to look after you now, so don’t worry.”

  The girl cries in my arms for a while, and I hold her until she calms down. After I set her down, I decide to try and find out what happened to her.

  “So, kiddo, how did you end up here? Did you get separated from your family?”

  The girl immediately tears up, and I think she might start crying again. She calms herself down, though, and answers me. “I don’t have a family. I’m an orphan, and ever since the power went out, I’ve been on my own.”

  My jaw drops at her words. How could she have managed to survive all this time on her own, without someone figuring out she was alone? Now that I know this girl has no family, there’s only one choice. If she agrees, she’ll come with us to the apartment.

  “Tell you what: come with me. I’ll look after you, if you want, and take you back to the apartments that my family and a few others live in. There’s plenty of food, and it’s safe from the Palemen.” The girl looks at us. Realizing that she doesn’t know our names, I say, “By the way, I’m Aaron, and this is my sister, Melany, and friend, Brian.”

  The girl looks at us, appearing a little distrustful. After a few seconds, she nods. “Okay, I’ll come with you, but you have to promise you won’t leave me behind if we get into trouble.”

  Smiling, I reply to her. “I would rather die than leave you behind.”

  She smiles back. “Okay, I believe you. My name is Evelyn.” Her 180-degree turn from distrust to trust amuses me, and I chuckle. She’s still a child, and though I’m sure she doesn’t trust us, I know she’s ready to.

  “Alright then, Evelyn, we’re out here because we’re doing a mission for the people we live with. Is it okay if you come with us? If you do come with us, you’ll have to be quiet and stick close to us. If you would rather be safe, we can take you straight back to the apartments.”

  Evelyn shakes her head fervently. “No. I’m coming with you.”

  Smiling, I nod, and without another word, we start moving. After a few minutes of walking, Evelyn comes up to me and grabs my hand. We walk hand-in-hand until we reach the gym.

  The front of the gym has glass walls, which are intact. Scouting inside, I see that there is one Paleman loitering about. Remembering the moans from the dying Palemen earlier, I decide to try out my theory. Telling the others to stay put, I make my way into the gym.

  Avoiding the Paleman inside, I make my way to the display case, where a pair of Dao swords hangs. These swords always caught my eye when I trained here in the past. Now I can own them. I open the case, pull out the swords, and test their edges. Finding them razor-sharp, I smile with satisfaction. They’re well balanced and deadly. I’ll enjoy owning these weapons.

  Turning around, I see that the Paleman inside the gym has noticed me. My experience earlier led me to think that Palemen might use their moans like sonar. To test this theory, I run to the Paleman and move around him, silently stopping behind him. After a second, the Paleman lets out a moan, then quickly turns to face me.

  So I was right. Smiling, I prepare to strike the Paleman down. When I look into the eyes of the creature, I ready my sword. Stopping myself right before the blades impact, I realize I recognize this Paleman.

  “Luke?” Though the eyes are red and the skin is pale, there’s no mistaking it. The Paleman standing in front of me is my friend Luke. Luke lunges at me, and I’m forced to jump back. My brain tells me he’s past saving, but my body won’t listen. There’s no helping him, but how can I kill him now in cold blood?

  Tears come to my eyes as the realization hits me. As my vision starts to blur, Luke charges me. If I don’t kill him now, I’ll be at a disadvantage and I’ll be scratched—or worse. My sword arm readies, and I swing the blade. It goes through Luke’s neck as I step to the side. His body and head fall to the floor.

  Tears start falling from my eyes, and I want to fall with them. If Luke was here, there’s a good chance his family came with him. His father was an active member of this gym, so coming here to stay safe would make sense.

  Trying to think through the grief, I realize the best place to hide would be the bathroom. My body feels heavy as I move through the gym. As I open the door, I’m not sure what I’m expecting. What I find causes my swords to clatter to the ground. My stomach churns, and I fall to my knees and vomit. Scattered around the bathroom is the gore of Luke’s family. Their bodies are torn to shreds, but for some reason, their faces remained untouched. Their expressions are full of pain and sadness. The cold, dead eyes haunt me.

  Retching, I crawl away from the bathroom.

  Is this my future? Will I kill everyone I love while they cower in some bathroom or shower, waiting while they cling to their humanity and their lives? Is that what this world has come to?

  My thoughts spin out of control, and I collapse onto the floor. Someone’s arms wrap around me, and I think it’s Luke here to drag me into death with the rest of his family. When I try to fight him off, I find that I’m too weak.

  With great effort, I manage to turn over and see the face of my attacker. Instead of seeing the cold, red eyes of Luke, I see soft, green eyes. They are sad but also full of hope. As my vision clears of tears, I recognize the person hugging me as Evelyn.

  One life saved, one life condemned. This world is cruel and dark, but hope isn’t gone.

  Chapter 7: Stephanie

  May 25th

  My mind wanders as I stare at the empty street below our apartment. A Paleman breaks my concentration when he stumbles into my view. As I watch the creature wander, I think back to the first time I observed one.

  It may have only been a few days, but it feels like it’s been much longer. My life has regained stability since the infection broke out. Despite that, I still mourn the days when I was a nurse practitioner and my life had a purpose. Now I’m not sure what to do. If we’re going to be trapped inside this apartment until we starve to death, I’d rather not have made it here. Survival is not enough for me.

  My worries once again make me wonder how this disease functions. Aside from the obvious symptoms like the loss of melanin production, bl
indness, hypersalivation, and insanity, we know nothing about this disease. Nothing in my medical training was anything like this.

  Whatever this disease is, I’m certain that it’s a weaponized virus or bacteria. It’s the only thing that makes sense. This disease could’ve originated in nature, but it seems too refined for that to be the case.

  As I watch the Paleman walk around a corner and out of sight, I decide that it’s time to go to sleep. My desire is to learn more about this disease so I can know for sure if there’s a way to cure it or not. Without an infected patient to examine, though, there’s very little I can do. That’s why I resolve to go to bed tonight and face the problem of learning more about the disease tomorrow.

  On the way to the cot my husband built for us, I run across Brian. He nods but refrains from saying anything to me. Part of me still sees Aaron and his friends as children. After hearing everything they’ve done and been through, I know that’s not true. Aaron and his friends have done more to preserve our lives than me, my husband, or the other parents.

  They are so young, but somehow, they’re the ones who’ve taken on the burden of surviving. Part of me rejects their willingness to take responsibility. It should be the job of a parent to protect the child, not the other way around. Yet I know it’s too late to change anything.

  Seven months ago, Aaron was an adolescent, and I could dictate when he had to be home. Now forced to grow up, he and his friends are responsible for the lives of three families. He’s growing up too fast, and I wish I had some way to remove the stress from him.

  As I walk through the dark rooms of the apartment building, I’m careful to be silent. It takes a few minutes of weaving around the sleeping bodies, but I reach the cot my husband and I share. I find it empty, but I’m not surprised. My husband has always had his obsessions, and now, patrolling our home is one of them.

  While I’m glad he’s found something helpful to do, I wish he was around to talk more. I suppose I could always go and find him.

  Marcus almost never sleeps anymore, and I miss him lying next to me. Even though I long for him to be by my side, I understand why he isn’t. Ever since the power first went out and he sustained his hip injury, he’s had a hard time sleeping. He’s always been a strong man who didn’t balk at pain.

  Even now, I’m the only one who knows about his hip. In all honesty, he’s lucky to be as functional as he is. It might be painful, but he can still walk. He’ll never run again without surgery to correct his hip, but it should remain stable if he’s careful with it.

  Thoughts blaze through my mind as I lie on my back and try to fall asleep. My consciousness drifts and I dream of my life before the power went out.

  When my eyes open in the morning, my dreams fade, and I forget them like they are a distant memory. I turn to see what disturbed my sleep, and I see my son Aaron sitting next to my cot. He looks like he’s about to try waking me up.

  Willing my grogginess away, I sit up. “Good morning, Aaron. Did you need something?”

  Aaron jumps, startled, but recovers. “Morning, Mom. And yes, I do need something.” My son starts talking and catches me up on everything. His plan to gather everyone together and ask for help is good. As we wake up, my daughters and I talk about what needs to be done to help us survive in the apartments.

  Thinking back to last night, I remember my desire to learn more about the creatures. Aaron and I decide that meeting will be a good opportunity to speak about it, so I try to imagine the best things to say.

  My mind is so busy during the gathering that I don’t hear much of what’s said. When the chance to bring forward anything else comes up, I take it. As I speak, I look at everyone. I’m not surprised to see horror and shock in many of the adults’ faces. The younger members of our group surprise me when I see curiosity—and even desire to help—in their faces.

  When the gathering ends, I look around for someone to come forward and help me. Jason said he would help, but he hasn’t come over to me yet.

  As everyone starts to leave the gathering room, I start to lose hope, thinking that Jason’s family has prevented him from helping. Before I decide to leave, Jason walks up to me, followed shortly by Alexis.

  Relief floods me when Jason fulfills his promise to help and I realize that his parents aren’t preventing him from keeping his word. With his and Alexis’s help, I should be able to move my study forward significantly. My best-case scenario would be learning what causes the disease today. I’d also like to learn how to avoid and cure it. As the two volunteers walk toward me, I contemplate the ramifications of any discoveries for our small community.

  “Hey, sorry to make you wait. I had to, um, talk to my family. Anyway, what can I do to help you learn more about the Palemen?”

  Before answering, I look at Alexis to see if she has anything to say. After I see that she’s going to remain silent, I think about what the best thing for them to do is. To study a Paleman, I’ll need one, so my choice is easy.

  “Well,” I say, “all I need from you two is a live Paleman. Without one, I can’t study what causes their symptoms. If you’re willing to capture one, I’d be very grateful. Also, if you wanted to continue helping me after it’s captured, I’d appreciate it. The work might be more difficult, and I can’t promise that you won’t be exposed to the disease. Also, since it involves blood and tissue samples, it might be a little gory. So if you don’t think you can handle it, then I understand.”

  Jason looks at me, and I can see pain in his eyes. He may hate this disease, but I don’t think he wants to see anything or anyone suffer more than he has to. “I’d be glad to help capture one for you, but I don’t think I can help you past that.”

  I nod and tell him I understand. After the formalities, Jason tells me his plan to capture one of the infected, and I agree with it. With his task assigned, Jason leaves to fulfill it.

  Alexis surprises me by staying behind. Before I can ask her what she wants, she speaks. “I understand that you need a patient to examine, but Jason can take care of it himself. What I want is to help you in another way. Having only one person treat wounds is foolish. My hope is to learn from you, and I want to start today.”

  Alexis is speaking to me so frankly it catches me off guard. She’s not wrong. Having two people who can take care of our group’s medical needs would be smart. Seeing no reason not to train her, I decide that I will.

  “Okay, I’ll teach you what I know. You need to understand, though, that it won’t be easy. It took me years to learn what I know as a nurse. The best approach would be to teach you how to deal with trauma and wounds, then move to other fields if possible. If I’m going to train you, we’ll need some supplies. The supplies I need to examine our patient and the supplies to train you should be in the same place.”

  Alexis looks at me, and I can tell that she’s glad I agreed.

  Smiling, I continue. “You’ll need to come with me to the high school. There, they should have some equipment in one of the labs. Since you went to the school, I figured you could lead me to the right lab. Also, while we’re there, we can pick up some books to train you in anatomy. I want to leave as soon as possible, so why don’t you gather whatever you need for the trip and meet me by the door?”

  Alexis nods, turns, and leaves to gather her things. Not wanting to make her wait, I start gathering things for the trip, too. I’m so busy that when my daughter Melany taps my shoulder, it startles me.

  “Hey, Mom. Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to ask you if it’s okay if I go with Aaron to the store. Dad already said it would be fine.” At first I’m hesitant, but I force myself to remember that things are different now. A few months ago, I would have been upset if Melany asked to do something this dangerous. Now I realize that danger is a part of our lives.

  Despite what I know, I have to let her go. Saying no would make the other families less willing to let their own children help the group. Plus, she would probably go anyway.

  In the world we live in now,
my daughter is an adult. Childhood is a luxury, and with our world destroyed, I don’t think anyone can afford it.

  “It’s fine if you go,” I say. “Be careful. Aaron will do his best to take care of you, but make sure you keep him from doing anything too dangerous.”

  My daughter smiles and laughs. It’s good to see her happy, but I do worry about them getting into trouble. All I can do, though, is trust that she understands the risk of going outside.

  “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll be able to take care of myself. I promise we’ll be as safe as possible out there. We all know better than to risk ourselves unless we have to.” Melany’s words calm me, and I find my worry dissolving as I hug her goodbye. They’ll be in the back of my mind until they return, but I trust them to stay safe.

  I grab a sweater and put it into my bag, then throw the bag across my back. The bag has far more supplies than I’ll need for the trip, but I’d rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

  Alexis surprises me by meeting me by my bed. I suppose she finished packing before I did. She checks to see if I’m ready, and after telling her that I am, we head out of the apartment together.

  We walk through our now-empty town, and as we do, I look at the vacant windows and abandoned streets, trying to ignore the bodies. It’s only been a little while, and already the town has decayed so much. Without people to maintain it, how much longer will it last?

  The water towers won’t hold forever, so I make a mental note to set up some rain traps on the roof this week. Silencing my mind, I focus on making it through our abandoned city.

  We manage to make it to the school unmolested by any Palemen. After climbing through a broken window, Alexis takes the lead and guides me to what I presume will be the chemistry lab. As we go through the halls, I remember my own time in high school, and I feel a pang of guilt and pain. My children will never again go to school. There’s no way they can have an easy, safe life anymore.