The Oasis

by Janette Osemwota

  It exploded in the center of all the chaos.

  Rushing out of his hiding spot, he made a run for the open area just to the right of where he’d thrown the grenade.

  When he was approached by another group of others he pulled the pin on another grenade, throwing it among the masses to cause another distraction. As he turned the corner, his heart got a little lighter. If he could just make it around the corner he had a chance of taking Eric out.

  Racing across the road, he crossed behind another building. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, which knocked him to the ground. He stood shakily, then froze. There was a pistol pointed right at his temple.

  “I don’t think so.” Eric smiled down at him through the clearing smoke from Jasper’s grenades. Behind Eric stood what was left of his small army.

  * * * * *

  Lena rushed around the back of the building, gripping the backpack tightly. She knew she needed to get as much distance as possible between herself and the laboratory. Dodging sideways, she avoided the debris on the ground.

  An explosion drew her attention back in Jasper’s direction. She stopped and turned to look back. A billow of smoke rose above the building and she couldn’t be sure if the explosion had been caused by Jasper or the free man. Brushing the hair from her face again, she couldn’t let her thoughts go there. Feeling the weight of her pack, she knew that she needed to keep going. One foot in front of the other, she told herself as she started running again.

  So far she had not been seen by any of the others or the free man’s men. Most of them seemed to be headed towards the explosion she’d heard. Lena had been able to avoid everyone, dodging behind debris or ducking behind vehicles.

  Her mind tried to stay on the path in front of her, but she couldn’t help but worry about what she carried. She’d never given an injection before. She didn’t even know how to administer the cure, let alone duplicate it. Letting her mind race on to things that it shouldn’t, she started to doubt her ability to go through with it. She kept thinking of Jasper, dying for this cause. She had to get out of there before she decided to turn back and try to save him. She had to keep her thoughts moving forwards, not back.

  By now she was far enough away from the laboratory that she could let her guard down a bit. She crossed another street and turned quickly around the corner of a building. She could see the exit of the base now. Pressing her back against the wall, she got ready to bolt to the exit, an area where there were no building or things to hide behind.

  As she steeled herself to make a run for it she heard a low growling sound. There, directly across from her, one of the free man’s dogs stood between her and freedom.

  It growled and lowered its head to the ground, ready to pounce.

  Slowly, she pulled her pistol out of the holster on her leg. There was no way she could outrun the dog, but if it got close enough she could shoot it. As they stared at each other, each waiting for other to make the first move, she saw drool drip down from its jaws. The dog barked low in its throat and growled as it bounded towards her.

  Raising the pistol, she waited for the dog to get closer before she fired.

  Just as she was getting ready to fire, one of the others attacked the dog mid-stride. Lena lowered her gun as she watched the two fighting. She could not believe what she was seeing.

  The two fought intensely, both baring their teeth. Blood splattered as they ripped at each other. The dog’s yelps intermingled with the guttural noises coming from the other. It wouldn’t be long before they turned back to her.

  Re-holstering her gun, she made a run for it. The base gates were no more than a hundred feet away. Her feet raced across the pavement as she kept her eyes on the gate. On the other side there were houses and if she could reach them she could escape. Where there were houses, there were cars. She only needed to be patient and she could get out of there and on her way to freedom. All she needed to do was reach the gate.

  As she ran, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she prayed that it wasn’t the dogs. She might be able to outrun one of the others but there was no way she could outrun an infected dog, no matter how weak from starvation it was.

  A man, clad in military gear similar to what Jasper had worn, ran towards her. His pace surpassed her own and she twisted wildly to try to get away from him. Swerving off her original path, she hoped that he would trip somehow. Turning to see exactly what she was running from, she saw the sinister smile of Brett as he chased her.

  Quickly she drew her pistol and tried to fire in his direction while she kept running. He maneuvered out of her way and grabbed her arm. They both tumbled to the ground. He reached for her as she tried to scramble back to her feet.

  He rolled over to her and grabbed her roughly. She tried in every way possible to get out of his grip, but he overpowered her easily. He gripped both her hands with his and wrenched them behind her back. Lena tried to kick him. In response he twisted her arms tighter, making her cry out from the excruciating pain.

  Knowing that she was only wasting her energy, Lena stopped struggling, letting her head fall forwards.

  “That’s right, honey.”

  Raising her head, she met Brett’s gaze with her own. Then she pulled back and slammed her forehead into his nose.

  “Fuck!” Brett grunted and released her hands to grab his now bleeding nose.

  Quickly, trying to recover from her own blow, she scrambled away from him. It didn’t take him long to recover and he was able to jump up and grab her again. This time, he held her turned away from him, her back pressed against his front. Over her shoulder she could see him try to wipe away the blood that tricked down his face with his free hand.

  She smiled, proud that if this was the last time they would be alone together, she had at least reminded him that she would never be his honey.

  He pushed her along the road and she stumbled. Her heart began to drop when she realized that Brett wasn’t taking her in the direction of the lab at all. He shoved her towards the back of the closest building and her heart sank.

  “N-no!” she stammered.

  As she began to fight him again, he leaned down and pressed his mouth against the side of her head. His tongue glided to her ear and she jerked her head away from his invading mouth.

  “Oh, don’t worry, honey. You’ve got a hell of a lot more coming to you before I give you back to Freeman.” Bringing his free hand forward, he grabbed aggressively at her breast.

  Not this, Lena thought frantically. Death she thought she could handle, but to be passed around like those women in the free man’s dungeon, she didn’t think she could bear.

  “And you’re gonna pay for that little stunt,” Brett said and wiped the blood from his face again. “I’m gonna do things to you that Anderson could never do. When I’m done with you, you’ll be screaming my name.” When he placed his hand on her chin to look into her face, she tried to bite him. He laughed as he backhanded her across the cheek.

  Pushing her forwards, he continued to grope at her body. Although she struggled against his touch, he continued to press his advances. When they reached the back of the building he shoved her to the ground. Her knees fell to the hard pavement, and the rocks cutting into her knees reminded her that this was in fact not a dream.

  As she fell, Brett pulled all her guns out of their holsters and tossed them aside.

  A menacing smile slowly crept across his face. “Jasper is going to love this.”

  When she tried to turn and get away from him, he grabbed her hair, pulling her back to face him. She cried out in pain as he threw her down. He lowered himself on top of her, looking down at her. Lena gagged as she tried to kick at him once more.

  “Do that again and I will break your leg.”

  Lifting her chin in defiance, she didn’t stop fighting. “You’re better off killing me now because I will never give in to you,” she snarled and spit in his face.

  His smile never faltere
d. “Honey, when I’m done with you, you’ll be begging to give in to me.”

  Lena shuddered. Brett scared the shit out of her, but he repulsed her more.

  Leaning down, he pressed his mouth to hers. She pushed with all her might to get him off, but couldn’t budge him. He was at least a hundred pounds heavier than she was and much stronger. He straddled her hips, not giving her legs anything to kick at, and his weight kept her hips from twisting and her arms trapped under his chest.

  Lifting up slightly, he reached down and pulled a pistol off his waist. Setting it to the side, he licked his lips, making Lena shudder, and looked down at her.

  “I’m going to enjoy this,” he said and reached down to unzip his pants.

  Lena realized it was now or never. Swiftly reaching over, she grabbed the pistol and shoved it against his head.

  He stared at her, his eyes showing fear for the first time.

  “People like you don’t deserve to live,” she whispered and pulled the trigger.

  Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere. The force of the close-range shot pressed the gun violently against her.

  Brett’s body fell heavily on top of Lena. In death he seemed to weigh twice what he had before.

  “Oh jeez!” Lena gasped, the pain of his body crushing her, knocking out her breath. Brett’s weapon had been pushed away from her as he fell on top of her. Pushing against his body, she tried with all the strength she had left to get him off her.

  As the blood from his shattered head dripped down onto her, she knew she had to think quickly. She couldn’t waste time and the idea of Brett’s brains leaking onto her made her sick again. The blood soaked into her hair and shirt as she pushed his head over her shoulder. She didn’t want to see the dumbfounded expression that had frozen on his face when she shot him.

  The pressure on her lungs left little space for her to get much more than shallow gulps of air, making her dizzy. As she lay there, struggling to get this enormous man off her, she couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. She had escaped one death only to possibly succumb to another. Reaching her arm as far as it would stretch, she tried to reach the gun again. Her fingers barely caressed the metal but she couldn’t get enough of it onto her fingers.

  Brett’s blood continued to drip down onto her.

  Lena held still. She could hear footsteps approaching. She knew that she wasn’t entirely hidden under Brett’s body. Shifting slowly she tried to press her body under his. The shuffling sound stopped and Lena held her breath.

  Suddenly Brett’s body was lifted above her head and tossed aside like a sack. Pulling her legs up, Lena quickly tried to protect herself from attack. She was sticky from Brett’s blood, and scrambling to find a weapon, but she could see a man standing over her. He was silhouetted by the sunlight, giving her no chance at all to see his face. He stood there motionless and Lena could feel the fear rising in her chest.

  As her eyes adjusted, she realized that the man standing in front of her was an other… but not just any other. She recognized his face as her initial captor, at the gas station she and Jasper had visited what seemed a lifetime ago. He was the one who had kidnapped her and took her to the free man’s house of torture. He stood there, motionless, just staring at her.

  As she relaxed her body, he swiftly reached down and grabbed her shirt. He yanked her off the ground and pulled her up to his chest. As he stared down at her, she realized he seemed to be analyzing who she was. Although many of the others had looked at her, this one seemed to be actively thinking while doing so. Grunting, he dropped her to the ground and she felt the wind get pushed out of her again. She coughed and tried to catch her breath, but before she could he grabbed her leg and dragged her across the ground. She struggled and tried desperately to reach her weapons, rolling around trying to grab at anything she could. As she was fighting she realized her pack was left behind, next to Brett’s body. The chances of getting out of there with that cure were slowly escaping her.

  Looking back up at the other who dragged her along, she knew that there was only one thing left to do.

  “Wait, please!” she pleaded, unsure if he even understood what she was saying. He had never really given her reason to believe he could understand her, but something had always seemed different about him. Although he was the one who had caught her, she had wondered if the free man had chosen him to do so because he had some comprehension. But the more she screamed at him, the more she began to doubt her own ideas.

  “Don’t do this, please!” She pleaded with him, trying to go for his sympathy first. It hadn’t worked before and she didn’t expect it to work this time either, but she had to try everything. The whole world literally depended on this moment.

  “Wait!” An idea dawned on her. “I’m normal. I’m not infected. I’m just like the free man.” His steps slowed down slightly and she pressed her luck. “I have the cure.” He stopped mid-step and Lena’s heart pounded in her chest.

  He didn’t look at her or release her leg; he merely stopped walking. He set his foot on the ground and just stood there. “I can cure you. The free man is using you. I can help you get better. Please!” She could only hope that somewhere in there, in the place that had made him stop the first time, he could understand what she was saying. She had no idea how much torment this poor man had undergone from the free man.

  “They are only using you,” she said, carrying on because the silence had gone on too long. “They will never let you be free.” As she said the last word he dropped her leg to the ground with a thump. She hadn’t expected it and had to pull it up to her chest in pain as it hit the rocky ground a little too roughly.

  The other turned slowly around and Lena scooted back. She looked up at him and waited for him to do something, anything. As they stood there staring at each other, she realized her opportunity was passing. She stood slowly, watching him watch her. Lena realized she was covered with dirt, blood and rocks. She was a sight to see but she stood tall and stared at the other. He remained motionless, watching her.

  “I have the cure in my pack,” she said and nodded behind her. He did not respond. Turning, she gave him a shaky smile before she rushed back to her things. She made sure her pistol was ready in case he changed his mind and tried to attack her again.

  As she reached the pack, she realized that he hadn’t moved from his spot. There, across the desolate area, he stood. He must be around six foot four and two hundred and fifty pounds. He was a huge man and she could only hope that her assumption that he was once a soldier was true. Grabbing the vial and syringes, she rushed back to him. She knew nothing about the cure. She didn’t even know if it would work.

  The man’s eyes followed her as she filled the syringe. Before she chickened out, she jammed the needle into his arm and pushed the plunger down. He growled at her and pushed her off him. She fell to the ground, doubts crossing her mind as she watched the other cry out and claw at his body. His cries of pain and anger echoed off the surrounding buildings. Lena drew her pistol and aimed it carefully, ready for his attack.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The sun beat down onto Jasper’s back. A combination of sweat and blood dripped down his face. His hands were tied behind his back and he was kneeling in the center of the road. After Eric had captured him, he’d been dragged through the streets and placed here. He remembered little of the beating that he received and now he only wished for death. One of his eyes was swollen shut and the blood that trickled down his face was from an open gash on his cheek. His lips were swollen and he knew that Eric had other, even worse, plans for him. As a former SEAL, he knew that Eric wouldn’t have been satisfied with merely killing him, but intent on recapturing Lena too.

  Jasper could only hope that she had made it out alive. Eric had been talking with the other SEAL that Jasper didn’t recognize. He’d heard Brett’s name mentioned a few times and his heart sank. He knew that Brett had gone after Lena and he could only hope that she had managed to kill him first.

>   Through his swollen eyes, he saw Eric approach him. Crouching down to Jasper’s eye level, Eric smiled at him.

  “This whole thing will be over if you tell me where she is.” He tilted Jasper’s head up so he could look at him. “I promise I won’t lay a hand on her. You know what I want.”

  Jasper wrenched his head out of Eric’s hand. Eric’s word wasn’t worth anything, so even if he knew where Lena was he would never tell Eric. Lena meant more to him than his own life. His life might well be over, but he would be happy as long as he knew she was safe.

  “That’s too bad,” Eric said. “I’m going to kill her slowly now, after every single one of these men has had their way with her.” He turned and pointed to all of his men, others included. Jasper knew he wasn’t exaggerating. Lena would be passed around and more than likely she wouldn’t survive it. God, he hoped that she had gotten away.

  Eric stood up and walked around Jasper, whose eyes had dropped to the ground again.

  “I know you can hear me, Lena,” he shouted and Jasper’s head jerked up.

  Please God, no! he thought. Lena couldn’t have come back for him. She would be outgunned and most definitely killed. She couldn’t be that stupid.

  When Jasper opened his mouth to try to call out to her, Eric kicked him, making him curl over in pain. “I don’t think so,” Eric whispered.

  “Lena,” Eric shouted again, his voice echoing off the buildings. His eyes scanned the area. The other SEALs had their rifles armed and ready. He had given them orders to shoot to injure, not to kill. No matter what he told Jasper, he was going to have that little piece of tail for himself before he killed her. “Lena, if you don’t come out now, I will be forced to shoot Anderson here.” As if to prove his point, he pulled his pistol out of the holster on his chest. Pointing the gun at Jasper, he continued. “How will you feel knowing that you were the reason your boyfriend was killed? All for something you think is going to work.”