by Jesse Gagnon
“Jane, in here. Don’t worry it’s dead.” Giselle reported and pointed at the Azrael on the floor as she came into view.
“Who’s that out there?” The girl whispered to Steven.
“I can’t tell. I don’t know who Jane is.” His voice whispered back revealing his identity to Giselle.
“Steven, it’s me.” She belted loudly and took a knee.
“Miss Giselle!” Steven cried out behind the wall, the tile slid open and he ran in for a hug. She held her arms open and hugged him. She could feel the tears beading down her shoulder and his heartbeat quicken as joy and excitement overcame the boy. He noticed Jane behind her.
“Is Jane a nice person?” He asked peering into her eyes.
“No, Honey she’s not.” She smiled, turned her shoulders around and inspected Jane. She was smiling.
“So she’ll stay alive then?” He asked while pulling away and wiping tears from his cheeks.
“For now.” Giselle glared at Jane. Jane ruffled her nose and made a silly face at the boy with her tongue pointing out to the right of her mouth. He laughed.
“I like her already.”
“I do too. She’s alright.” She beamed at Jane.
“Hey it’s safe to come out. It’s Miss Giselle. Remember, the lady I told you about.” Steven explained. The girl climbed out holding a little boy’s hand and the little Pomeranian ran out behind them growling at Giselle.
“What’s wrong with her eyes Steven?” The girl asked pointing at Giselle cautiously moving forward.
“Nothing, they’ve been that way since the last time I seen her. She’s sick or something.”
“She looks like one of them.” She gulped pointing at the dead Azrael on the ground.
“She’s tougher than they are. She’s one tough b…”
“Did you tell them that I was bitten?” Giselle interrupted.
“I forgot.” Steven admitted.
“Well, all they need to know is that I’ve been changed into something between a human and an Azrael. There’s something in my blood that keeps the virus from fully changing me into one of them. Regardless, just understand that I’m still Giselle. I told you I’d keep you safe.” She finished her statement and turned her gaze into Steven’s eyes.
“I knew you’d come for me. I shot that one with a gun!” He pointed at the corpse on the floor.
“You what?” Giselle spurted out.
“I shot it! I saved them from that thing on the ground there.”
“He did.” The girl agreed while patting him on the back. He displayed a proud grin.
“That’s so dangerous Steven. You could have shot yourself.”
“But I didn’t. I was brave like you.” He muttered confused at his hero’s reaction.
“I get it Steven; you did what you had to. But we need to respect the weapons that we use. We need to understand them. I see you’ve already moved passed the beginning stage of using it. I’m not saying that a young boy should be using guns but if we have to survive out here then we all need to be able to defend ourselves.”
“Okay, when are you going to teach me?”
“First, let’s get us out of here. It’s not safe in this building. Are your friends coming? I promise I won’t bite.” They didn’t like that comment, especially the little boy.
“We’re coming. We’re safer together. It’s what Mom always said.”
“She’s right.” Giselle added.
“So what’s the plan Giselle? You do have a plan right?” Jane questioned now concerned that Giselle brought them into a situation they couldn’t escape.
“We wing it.” She responded.
Chapter 21
Hunted
Randall and Brooke had been living out their simple lives for a bit now. Just yesterday he had saved her from humans that were probably trying to reclaim their home. It was Randall’s home now. There were plenty of other houses out there for humans to claim as their own. A small herd of Azrael was still hunting in the woods. One of them was the shooter; he assimilated into the herd that attacked him quickly. Randall wanted them to leave so he could be alone with Brooke. He wanted to keep her safe. He sat on the porch watching the trees sway back and forth, listened to the breeze rustle the leaves and enjoyed the aroma of the outdoors.
When Randall awoke that morning and exited his safe room he noticed Brooke staring at herself in the mirror once more. She touched it and placed her hand next to the hand print from the day before. There was peacefulness about her that he hadn’t seen before, like she was different sometimes than others. When she noticed Randall she glanced up at him and grunted. Maybe she was awakened too, but at a child’s level of understanding. There was no real way to know for sure.
A dead fawn lay next to the door and he knew it was an offering to him. He picked it up by the fur and tossed it on his shoulder. She followed him to the picnic table where he tore it open and they shared breakfast.
The day progressed as normal as any other day. Randall and Brooke were carrying out the normal routine of hunting and eating. About midday Brooke was hunting fish by the river. The Azrael herd was a few miles on the other side of the house maybe waiting to ambush humans that dared to venture through their territory. The alpha seemed capable at rural survival so it might be waiting for them to return to the house again. Maybe that’s good for Randall, keeping man away from his retreat.
With Brooke around it gave him more time to think and plan ahead since she did most of the hunting now. He had to help her take down a large buck last week but she kept it busy in one place as Randall slipped in from behind it. After a good struggle Randall managed to break its neck.
He wondered about winter and what food sources would be available to them. He worried about man arriving as he was sleeping. Would his body be able to defend itself being locked up? They could burn the house down and that would be that. He worried about Azrael herds dragging Brooke into their ranks like they did before. He worried about things lately that he hadn’t needed to worry about since becoming Azrael. Now he has responsibilities, a purpose. That made him wonder about faith and if he remembered reading anything about this in the Bible. Nothing came to mind and he dismissed the theological debate in his head. What was he doing? Was this all that there was for him? Was there more that he could do in today’s world?
Quick movements deep within the brush and trees pulled Randall from his thoughts. It was large and fast. He sniffed the air but the breeze came from the opposite direction. His smell drifted towards it along with Brooke’s scent. He stood up. Another large figure darted through the trees heading straight for Brooke. He could hear her splashing in the stream trying to grab a fish in it. He listened and found her heartbeat swiftly beating. The other two had extremely faint heartbeats; however, they were Azrael heartbeats. He felt a sense of danger for Brooke and rushed towards her. The others would be on her before he got there but maybe he had enough time to stop whatever plans they had for her. Their presence was only a slight movement of the trees up ahead. They were much faster than he hoped they would be. As the breeze shifted he smelled their rot.
When he neared Brooke another Azrael heartbeat appeared behind her. It was moving towards him as fast as she was. It was watching her. As the trees cleared revealing two sprinting hulks a football field distance away he caught a glimpse of Brooke standing in the water holding a fish in her hands while biting into it. He hadn’t felt it yet but after about twenty yards he sensed the pull to the Alpha drawing him in with obedience, a blind loyalty to a greater cause. The Alpha was behind Brooke standing on the other side of the bank. For some reason she ignored it, she continued to eat. The other two stank of an earlier meal, a stink foreign in most Azrael breaths. It was an unpleasant odor of dead meat, long dead meat. What had they been doing?
The two slowed as they neared Brooke, standing next to each other like the twin towers that once graced the skies of New York City. They stood there breathing heavy and watched Brooke as she ate the fish.
She finally noticed them, hissed and snarled pulling the meal closer to her chest. Randall was now fifty yards away from the two and as he readied himself to knock them over they turned around and ran at Randall with their attention solely on him. Within seconds they collided into him as both lifted him off of the ground. Each braced a shoulder beneath each of Randall’s armpits. They held onto an arm and gripped tightly. Brooke noticed that Randall was in trouble and started to wade in the river towards the bank dropping the fish in the river. Before she could reach the bank the Alpha had her in his hands by the back of the throat and up in the air. It sniffed her and scowled.
Randall recognized who it was as it emerged from the trees from the other side of the bank. It was the Azrael hunter. It was going to kill Brooke. He knew it. It wanted Randall to watch as it killed his friend. It wanted to make him suffer. Randall became furious and animalistic. He shifted his weight from left to right trying to put the other two off balance. They staggered a bit but regained their footing quickly. He continued to do the same action and gradually sped up the cadence. Adrenaline started to pour into his body burning off several calories a second. Weeks of stored energy from the animals he hunted in these woods brought him a strength advantage. With massive amounts of energy his skin began to burn up reaching temperatures in the 120’s and he made his move pulling his left leg over and around the head of the Azrael that held him under his left armpit. He hooked his left foot under his right ankle and tightened his thigh muscles crushing its head and throat. It bit into Randall but he squeezed harder until finally crushing its skull. Its body grew limp under him reducing the stability from the other Azrael. Randall’s left arm finally became free and he quickly wrapped it around the throat of the Azrael under his right armpit. He pulled harder than he ever pulled before. Before he could snap its trachea a small lifeless corpse struck him on his left shoulder. Brooke lay beside him with her head turned in the wrong direction. Her eyes were still open and a small tear escaped the corner of one of them.
It caused him to pause long enough for the Azrael he was grabbing to break free. It bit into his shoulder and grabbed at Randall’s throat attempting to dig its nails into him. Randall was numb to the world, torn apart from its wickedness. He was knocked on his back and the Azrael chewed his shoulder flesh while attempting to choke him with its right hand squeezing violently. He continued to stare into Brooke’s empty gray Azrael eyes. He was inches from her face and could smell her breath. Very faintly, her fishy breath continued. She hadn’t fully died, her body already started to heal itself. Her eye twitched. All hope was not lost yet.
Randall turned and observed the Azrael’s eyes still lost and distant as its teeth hit bone. It believed Randall had lost all optimism and had given up but it was not that day.
In a burst of strength that Randall stored up burning his skin to unimaginable temperatures and exhausting his mind, he reached towards the Azrael on top of him. He placed his palms on its chest and pushed it to the right towards a large rock that sat about fifty feet from the bank. Randall stood up, waited for the Azrael to stand up, charged into it at full speed and pinned it against the giant boulder. He put his right hand on its face digging his fingers in and started to drive tis head backwards banging it against the rock violently until it opened up. Before he could finish the job Randall was tackled to the ground by the Alpha. Its power was twice that of the others he was fighting. Its size equaled his. As he lay on the ground being choked by the Alpha he watched as Brooke’s chest started to rise and fall once again. He could hear her tiny heartbeat pushing on. Her head slowly turned to fix itself bringing new life into Randall. He glared up at the Alpha and smiled. Its eyes appeared infuriated towards Randall. A deep hatred welled up inside the Alpha as it squeezed even harder around Randall’s throat with both hands. Drool salivated from its mouth dripping down on his face. His mind started to lose control. He was moments from passing out.
What the Alpha didn’t know was that Randall had slowly brought his knees up and was seconds from placing his feet into its chest and kicking it off. Blinded by rage the Alpha ignored Randall’s movements, as a result it was catapulted fifteen yards away and struck its skull on a rock in the river. Its body became limp and the river carried it away slowly. A violent waterfall awaited its unconscious body a mile down the river. Randall knew this and let nature decide its fate.
Randall’s consciousness was waning and knew that he needed to get back to the house. He picked up a large rock and made sure the other two didn’t’ get back up by crushing their skulls. His little companion still lied on the ground recovering from its injuries. He gently picked her up, held her against his chest like a sleeping child with her head on his left shoulder. He carried her to the house and laid her in the main living room area. He entered the back room, locked it and waited for his body to take over. He wanted to bring her inside with him but was afraid that his body would injure her further when it regained control. He was troubled and knew that his world got a whole lot more complicated. Maybe it was time for Randall and Brooke to move towards the city. Maybe he could find more answers. There was nothing out there left to learn. He needed to find more of those like him. But for now he must rest. Brooke required rest. Maybe tomorrow he’ll have his answer. His mind finally gave in and relinquished control to the virus.
Chapter 22
TOUGH lOVE
Jason rolled over and his face pressed against the side of the tent creating an entertaining visual for Mario outside sitting by the fire. He was heating up a tin cup of water that he planned on filling with a package of oatmeal. The material stretched and form fitted over every crevice and feature on Jason’s face. After a few seconds of huffing into the tent Jason awoke in a panic flailing around while attempting to get up.
“I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe! Oh shit…” He cried out as he gave the tent a good beating. He eventually realized his surroundings and calmed down. An audible zip piqued Mario’s attention and he glanced over while sipping a cup of green tea. Jason’s head poked through as he stood up wearing the tent around him. His eyes were heavy and his face was droopy.
“What you cooking Mario?” He asked looking over at Mario’s tin cup.
“Don’t worry, I got yours heating up over there.” Mario pointed his cup of tea at a larger tin cup of oatmeal near the fire. “You like apple and cinnamon oatmeal?”
Jason’s eyes sparkled and he struggled to unzip himself out of the tent.
“Do I ever.” He responded as he emerged from the tent looking like he stole a child’s outfit still wearing Mario’s spare workout clothes.
Mario laughed spilling his scolding hot tea in his lap. He stood up in a hurry as he attempted to dry off and cool the water that was already soaking into his pants.
“Shit!” He muttered as he winced from the pain.
“That’s for laughing at the incredible growing man.” Jason stood tall like some superhero. “So, you got a plan worked out yet?” Jason stepped out of the tent completely and sat on the available cinderblock near the fire. He picked up his cup of oatmeal and started eating.
“Well, I’ve been watching the entire area for the past few hours.”
“How long have I been sleeping?” Jason interrupted.
“Only twelve hours.” Mario smirked sarcastically.
“Oh, good. I didn’t want to sleep in.”
“What’s sleeping in?” Mario countered.
“Fourteen, sixteen…”Jason began to smile. “Hah, just fucking with you. Damn I was out.”
“You started snoring pretty loud the fourth hour in.”
“No I wasn’t?”
“Yes you were. I had to push your big ass over to avoid drawing the Azrael.”
“Sorry about that. Been sleeping alone lately.”
“I see.” Mario glanced down and sipped his tea. He sat back down next to the fire hoping that it would dry his pants quicker than the breeze. It was quiet for a few minutes. “So, I’ve been watching the area and
it looks mostly clear other than the group in the building we blew up.”
“You blew it up.” Jason corrected.
“I blew it up.” Mario agreed. “We should be safe heading back to take out that herd without drawing much more during the process.”
“Same strategy to round ‘em up and blow ‘em up?” Jason asked.
“Unless you can think of something else? We should use what works.”
“I don’t think we can be one hundred percent sure that we’ve lured them all out. What if, and this may sound crazy, we lure them to the top floor. Evacuate the building of everyone alive and then bring that motherfucker down with them in it.” He mimed a building collapsing with mouth sound effects and finished with a big boom noise.
“You just want to blow up a building don’t you?” Mario asked and Jason nodded giddy like a child.
“I don’t know. What if we miss someone that’s injured up there or unaware of the plan and can’t hear us as we try to evacuate the building? I don’t know Jason; so much could go wrong with that plan.” Mario shook his head dismissing the plan.
“Or…” Jason looked up to his left trying to draw out a thought. “Instead of luring them out and blowing them up, which would be awesome by the way, we just bring them outside the city all together?”
“A little less crazy, doable, less chance for people to get hurt. Not a bad plan Jason.” Mario raised his cup in approval. “Whatever we do we need to do it soon. I’m still worried about John and Savanna.”