by Greene, Dane
“Hello, my name is Ryan. I want to apologize for keeping you contained for so long. Recently, we had some violence on the premises. Because of this, I wanted to determine your motives. I hope you’ll forgive me, but I took the liberty of reading your journal.”
Ryan holds up my journal, which is a record of the time from the power went out to now. It was a foolish hope, but I wrote it so that if I died for some reason, I wouldn’t be forgotten. I’m a little upset that this man read it, but at least I won’t have to explain much to him.
“So what did you decide, then?” I ask. “Since you know everything about my journey, I’m sure you could determine my motives.”
The man smiles, and it confuses me. “You’re right. I do know everything about your journey, and I can help.”
Not sure what he’s planning to say, I expect that he’s going to try and get something from me. “Brian and the others came through here,” he says. “They left with one of my best men, Kent. I can give you a car and enough gas to reach them, if you want. We come across cars often on our trips, and I have a surplus.”
The man’s willingness to give me a car is shocking—so much so that I’m speechless. When I finally recover, I ask the man everything I can about Brian and what he was doing coming through here.
He tells me about when Brian was here and even about Kent, the person he left with. After that, he continues telling me about the base and himself.
His wife and children died shortly after the outbreak. He promised them he would save as many people as he could. Since then, he’s set up a military camp and scouts for people and supplies. On these expeditions, they kill as many Palemen as they can and help those that want to be helped.
He tells me about Palemen who control groups and how their main focus has shifted to hunting them down. In the middle of explaining his last expedition, he says, “You know, I realize I’ve forgotten to ask your name. I’m sorry about that. So what can I call you?” This man has shared so much with me that I feel like I can trust him.
“I’m Alexis. Nice to meet you, Ryan.”
Ryan and I both laugh, and I realize that the man isn’t much older than me. At most, he’s in his late twenties.
“Alexis, the reason I’m telling you all this is that I want you to stay here on this compound. You should know that the choice is yours to make and that I won’t force you to stay against your will. If I didn’t tell you that your chance of survival going north to Beaver Island is pretty low, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. All the same, the choice is yours. It’s not that the journey itself is dangerous if you’re careful and take your time; I’m sure you could make it. Winter’s coming, and I doubt you could deal with the Palemen and the cold. Not at the same time.”
What he says rings true, but I’m not sure that I want to wait a whole year. It might be worth the risk if it means I can see my brother again.
“It’ll be winter in a few months, so the only way to make it to your brother this year would to be to go straight through Chicago. That’s pretty much a death sentence. We’ve only come close to the city, and it’s a death zone. People are at war with each other there, and there are more Palemen than you could count. Like I said, though, I’ll give you a car and gas if you choose to go.”
Ryan is clearly an honest man. It wouldn’t be so bad to work with him for the winter. After all, it would be better to wait a year to see my brother than to die on the way and never see him again.
“Let me be honest with you, Alexis. I want you to stay. You wouldn’t only be a good addition to our community as a person, but I also think your medical knowledge could be a huge asset to us. I know you were not academically trained, but your experience is more than anyone else has on the complex.”
I know that he’s right about the city. If I tried to go around, even with a car, it could take months. The last thing I want is to be trapped somewhere this winter without enough food and freezing to death. The idea of leaving my brother even temporarily is daunting. The idea that I may be able to help save people while waiting is too good to pass up.
“Ryan, could I leave at any time I want and still get that car and gas?”
Ryan smiles at me. He must be glad that I’m considering staying. “Of course. I don’t keep anyone here against their will. You and everyone else here is free to leave any time without asking.”
Ryan’s smile is infectious, and I find I’m warming up to him. The hope that I can help others makes me a little more willing to trust what he has to say. Even if he’s lying to me now, it’ll be much easier to escape if he trusts me. My only concern is what he does with the people who have become animals.
“Ryan, I want to know something: what do you do with those unwilling to work with you or those who try to sabotage you?”
Ryan’s smile disappears, and his face darkens. “Well, at first we tried to detain them, keeping them in these rooms, but we learned how counterproductive that was. This compound is no stranger to execution. From what I’ve read in your journal, though, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.” Ryan looks at me, and I nod.
Building the community with Stephanie taught me that as well. Some people aren’t savable. There were a few executions after the first woman and child we saved. Some of the executions I was sorry to carry out, but I regret none of them.
“One last thing, Alexis. If you tell me you want to stay, don’t feel like you have to be a nurse or help with the medical needs. What I read in your journal I shared with no one. I won’t lie to you: if you’re our nurse, you may have to do some gruesome things. My men and I go to the front lines. We’re careful, but sometimes one of us is bitten. If possible, we amputate the bitten limb. If that doesn’t work, well, we believe in triage. Every person who goes out on our raids understands the risk and is willing to sacrifice life and limb.”
The idea of amputation startles me, but I suppose it would work. Even so, having it done must be excruciating. In the end, I can understand wanting it done, though. If my choices were death or the painful loss of an arm, I would choose to live despite the pain.
It’s foolish, but I thought I’d be dealing with colds, scrapes, and bruises if I was the nurse. Ryan was kind to break this fantasy; more likely than not, I’d have to see several people die. There might even come a point when I’m forced to decide who lives and who dies. It’s a scary thought, and I’m not sure if I’m experienced enough to be the one making those decisions. Even so, it would be wrong of me not to use my skills to help others, even if it means possible triage.
“If someone’s bitten and we can’t amputate,” Ryan says as if to confirm the thoughts I was having moments ago, “they won’t come back from the field. It’s sad, but it’s too risky to bring them back. Some end it themselves. Others aren’t so willing. Understand that you’d have to deal with this as a nurse.”
Ryan says this as if to confirm the thoughts I was having moments ago. I take a few minutes to think it over. “I’m willing to be your nurse,” I say, “but I have one condition. I want to be a battlefield nurse and come along with you and your men on every raid possible.”
“I can’t promise your safety if you go out there. You understand that, right? True, it would be more effective to have a battlefield surgeon, but it’ll be dangerous. If you want to come along, we’ll be happy to have you. I just wanted to give you the disclaimer.”
Ryan smiles. Part of him might have been hoping I’d want to go out on raids. Ryan surprises me when he says, “We leave in an hour. I’ll take you to someone who can show you your room and get you some gear.”
I didn’t think that he’d be willing to let me go out so soon. After waiting in this cell for so long, though, going anywhere is fine with me.
“Alright, let’s get going then. No time to waste sitting around here.”
The next hour flies by as I’m given back everything I came here with, including my journal. Besides the gear I came with, I’m given some field surgery supplies such as sutures, tourni
quets, and even some morphine. Most of the supplies they give me are typical first aid material. The only thing that’s strange is a razor-sharp blade with the name “De-Limber” spray-painted on it. Whoever marked the blade must have a sick sense of humor, but at least I know what it’s for.
Before we deploy, I’m given a choice to take any weapons I want. The only thing I add to my weapons is a pistol, much preferring the comfort of my spear and bow. My surgery kit goes on one hip, and I holster the pistol on the other. I hope that I won’t have to use either, but it’s better to have them on hand than regret not taking them. Once I finish gearing up, I find my way outside. The noise of a running jeep is all I need to find Ryan and the two other men inside it.
“Interesting choice of weapons, Alexis. I like the spear,” Ryan says to me as he waves for me to hop in the car.
Once I’m seated, the car roars its engines and we get moving. The car is still somewhat strange to me. The noise and smell it produces were once familiar. After months of electrical solitude, the sensations feel new to me.
“Alexis, I want you to meet Robert and Mathew. They’re some of my newer recruits.” Mathew sits up front with Ryan, and Robert is the man sitting next to me. I shake both of their hands in greeting.
Mathew seems a little more battle-hardened, but I can tell that both men have been through their share of trials. They look like good men, and I’m sure they’ll be able to watch my back. My only hope is that I’ll be able to watch theirs.
“Nice to meet you two. Hope everything goes well today.” When I stop to think about it for a second, I realize I never asked what the plan for today was. “So, Ryan, what’s the plan?”
“Well, I’m taking you three to a place we clear out every few weeks. It’s a large hardware store, and it’s nice to provision our supplies from there. We shouldn’t run into any trouble. There are no locals and usually only a few wandering Palemen. Nothing we should have trouble with.” I nod, relieved that my first time out will be a low-pressure operation. I imagine Ryan planned it that way.
The ride lasts about an hour, during which there isn’t much conversation. Both men seem nervous, and they aren’t the only ones. My own nerves are starting to eat at me. My worry isn’t about running into Palemen—I know how to deal with those. What worries me is having to watch others’ backs. Being responsible for my own life is one thing. Being responsible for others is another worry altogether.
Everything will work out. I’ll have to trust the others to have the same worries. I can’t afford to be distracted. I’ll have to trust them and do my best to earn their trust. There might come a time when these men need me at my full attention.
The car starts to slow down, and I look out the window. I see a large hardware store and realize that we’re here.
We drive up to the front doors of the store, and I notice several Palemen at them. The doors are barricaded, and I’m not sure why we would risk getting out here. I’m about to ask Ryan when he speaks up. “Mathew, you’re with me. Alexis and Robert, you two will be a team. We will take left, and you take right. After we’ve eliminated the Palemen at the front, we’ll do a sweep of the perimeter on our respective sides. If anything goes south, get back to the car. There are enough heavy guns in here to hold back about anything. Otherwise, we’ll meet on the back side of the building. Is everyone ready?”
Robert and Mathew answer with a yes, and I’m silent for a second before answering with a yes as well. We all move out of the car, and Robert comes over to me.
“Alright, I’m sure you know this, but no guns unless you need them. No sense drawing more to us if we can avoid it.” Since this is my first time having a gun on me, I doubt I would have used it, but what he says makes sense. No reason to make a loud noise and draw any Palemen into the area. In one hand, Robert holds a large baseball bat with nails driven through the end. In his other hand, there’s a hatchet.
The comfort with which he’s holding his weapons tells me he’s used to fighting at close range. For a second, I try to figure out the safest way to do this. After I’ve come up with a plan, I run it by Robert.
“Alright, Robert. I’ll take point. I can strike with my spear long before any Palemen close in. If any slip through, though, I’ll step aside and leave them to you. Any objections or modifications?”
Robert looks at me a bit strangely. He’s not used to being told how to fight. I think he might refuse for a second, but then he nods. “Makes sense. If you think you got it, who am I to argue? One suggestion, though: use these.”
Robert pulls something out of his back pocket and hands it to me. When I look to see what he gave me, I see a roll of quarters. Confused, I look at him for an answer. “Throw them in the air right before attacking, and it will confuse the Palemen for a few seconds.” True, the Palemen use noise to see, but I’d never thought to use that to my advantage. I split the roll apart so that when I do throw the roll into the air, it will split and the quarters will fall.
“Good thinking,” I say. We look over to Ryan and Mathew, and they signal their readiness. All together, we run toward the targets. Right before we reach the Palemen, several turn toward us. I throw the coin roll into the air, and before the coins hit the ground, I drive my spear into one of the Palemen’s hearts. He falls down to the ground around the same time the coins land.
We have four more Palemen, three about five feet in front of us and grouped tightly. One, confused by the coins, stands a foot or two from me. Taking advantage of the disorientation of the Paleman, I yank my spear from my first opponent’s chest and drive the point into the second creature’s neck.
The spear is wrenched from my grip as the Paleman falls, but I let it go and grab the bow off my back. The other three Palemen turn toward me, finally recovering from the quarter trick. I fire two arrows before the three Palemen close the gap. One arrow takes a Paleman in the eye, the other in the shoulder.
“Robert,” I say as I back up, hoping he hasn’t lost focus. Luckily, Robert comes to my aid. He brings the bat down onto one of the Palemen’s heads. The creature’s body crumbles to the ground. Before I can blink, Robert slams his hatchet into the soft flesh between the shoulder and the neck. He rips the hatchet out with a spurt of gore, then kicks the Paleman in the chest, sending it crashing to the ground. After a few seconds of struggle, the creature dies and the area is clear.
Robert looks at me with an expression of surprise and respect—a look I return for him. We check on our comrades and find that they are clear as well.
In that moment, I realize what I want. I may not survive long enough to reunite with my brother, but when I do, I want him to be proud. When we meet again, I want to tell stories of the hundreds I’ve saved, and in the end, that’s worth all the risks in the world.
Chapter 22: Aaron
Aug 26th
While I fly through the air, I remember all the dreams I’ve had of flying. All my life, I’ve hoped that someday I’d be able to fly for real. For a second, I think this might be another dream. Then I start falling.
Time slows as I approach the ground, and I allow myself one last fleeting regret. I wish with all my being that I didn’t have to do this, that I didn’t have to die. Both my fantasy and my regrets end when my feet hit the ground.
I drop and roll to break the fall. Without hesitation and with the utmost focus, I start to run. There’s no room for error, regret, or fantasy. There’s only running or dying. At first, I dodge Palemen and make good progress. After they catch on, I force my way through. Slamming bodies with an adrenaline-fueled strength, I push them aside and slip by the ones who haven’t realized what’s going on yet.
Saying I’m surrounded by Palemen is an understatement. Everywhere I look, there are bodies around me. Luckily, I’m still making good progress. The sheer number of bodies might be confusing the Palemen or delaying their reactions.
When I’m about halfway through the sea of Palemen, I start to think this might be easier than anticipated. That’s when the
Palemen finally catch on, and the sea thins and stretches out. The Palemen form smaller, more independent groups.
The groups start to spread apart. As I continue to run forward, they constrict around me like a boa. I’ve never seen Palemen act like this before. They scream in my head and their collective rage is pointed at me.
“Good. Focus on me and forget the others,” I think as I run. One group gets close and tries to snare me. Dodging it, I pull out my hatchet and Dao sword for the next group. When they try the same tactic, I make use of my Dao swords to swipe the hands away. Some blood spatters on me. I welcome it. Blood might be what I need to slip out of a Paleman’s grasp.
I begin to fear that this has been too easy. Running harder, I try to get a look at the horde. By my best estimate, I’d say I have twenty yards left. Knowing the distance is so short pushes me to run harder than I’ve ever run before.
As I close in on freedom, the Palemen get so tight around me that I can’t avoid them all. I focus on the ones blocking my path, cutting them out of the way and often using their lifeless corpses as shields. Untrimmed nails rake my bare chest, sides, and back as I run. Even so, the resistance is too light.
When I break into a clearing, I see why. A solid wall, five Palemen thick, stands in front of me. The Palemen link arms, so there will be no forcing my way through this. Knowing I can’t slow down, I run headlong for them. At the last second, I jump into the air with all my strength, wanting desperately to clear the horde.
My momentum carries me over all but the last ring of Palemen, which I slam into and roll over. Two Palemen are broken away and tumble to the ground with me. Both bite down and wrap their arms around me, one on my leg and one on my left arm. Without hesitation, I take a pistol and fire two quick shots through their skulls.
There’s no pain from their bites; I’m too amped up for it. Once they’re shot, I roll away from their grasps and start running from the mass of Palemen. Even though I escaped, I’m still doomed to death now that I’ve been bitten. Even so, I smile when I feel the horde’s anger over me escaping.