by Jesse Gagnon
The lapse of control and recall during mental naps was a problem that he needed to get under control. As of now, locking himself up before he slept seemed to be the only solution.
The sounds of his bare feet smacking the cracked slate colored road made him wonder where his shoes were. After about an hour passed trying to recall when he last wore shoes he gave up and thought about something more important, food. His stomach growled like an angry dog inspiring him to begin the hunt. The landscape was barren. The only movement that he saw was the distortion of heat and light up ahead. The sound of a plastic grocery bag dancing in the breeze reminded him of a 90’s movie and brought a smile on his face. A distant hum of a motor from a pick-up truck about twenty miles up the road indicated that he wasn’t alone anymore. Humans were coming. He quickly moved off of the road and hid into the wild growth of grass and weeds. The banging noise of the suspension or lack thereof proved that they were moving faster than they should have. They were in a hurry. The sharp turn about a hundred yards from Jason could prove disastrous for them. Another vehicle appeared through the horizon with a much quieter engine hum. It was moving even faster than the pick-up truck. It was a sports car. Its wheels gripped the pavement better and the suspension provided a smoother ride for its occupants. What the hell was going on?
As if predicted the pick-up missed the sharp turn sign posted before the almost ninety degree turn. When the road revealed the turn the driver overcompensated the wheel and the truck was brought into a violent roll that ejected a few passengers to their deaths. Several small bodies in the bed of the truck were crushed and flung in all directions. When the truck stopped, smoke was seen leaving the engine like a beacon inviting those from afar to come investigate.
The car slowed its pursuit and parked near the wreckage. A group of men in black suits stepped out of the vehicle. A small child was crawling towards one of the men with a broken leg and multiple lacerations on her body. She groaned in pain and kept her eyes on one of them. He reached into his jacket retrieving a pistol, screwed on a suppressor and shot a hole into the girl’s skull. The other men broke off and placed silenced shots in the remainder of the bodies that littered the landscape. Most were already dead but were shot anyway. The driver barely clung onto life hanging upside down still being held by the seatbelt. One of the men reached in unbuckling the driver and she landed hard on the roof of the truck. She grunted and spoke shortly after as she glared at the man who unbuckled her.
“You…you’ll never get away with this.” Her voice was broken and it sounded as if she were suffocating on the inside.
“If you haven’t noticed ma’am, we already have. I’d like to shoot you dead right now, but where’s the fun in that, huh? You’ll be discovered and eaten within the hour. Immunity has its perks. You’ll get to be eaten alive. How’s that sound?” The man wiped the blood off of his black leather gloves that came from her seatbelt.
“Why did you shoot them? The children have done nothing wrong! Why?” The woman hollered and finished with a violent and bloodied cough.
“They were going to die out here anyway. It’s the humane thing to do.” The man answered, smiled and walked towards his vehicle. “Should have stayed at Tricon.” He added, entered the front passenger seat and closed the door. The others piled in and they drove off the way that they came.
Jason couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. What is Tricon? Where is that and why did they kill all of those children? Jason had so many new questions with no way to ask. It frustrated him.
“Shit…he took my gun.” The woman spat out as she crawled out of the vehicle. Her breathing was troubled, probably from a punctured lung.
Movement about two miles behind the pick-up truck in the grassy landscape alerted Jason. He adjusted his focus and squinted to get an accurate image of what it was. The sunlight was causing the image to blur and distort. Whatever it was moved fast. He thought about what he could do. If it’s Azrael then that woman was going to die very soon without his help. He released a sigh and knew what had to be done. He had to reach her before it, wait…they were getting close. The aroma of Azrael polluted the air. His scent was foul, but theirs had been baking in the hot sun for years.
He noticed the woman pull herself to her feet, however, her steps appeared troubled. He sprinted towards her and was much closer than the others were to her. The woman fell to her knees and wept over the small girl that the man shot near her. She didn’t have time to mourn; he had to get her out of there. As he neared twenty yards to her she noticed him. His speed, aroma, and look were Azrael and she knew it.
“No! Not now, please!” She hollered at Jason. When he slowed and pointed behind her he noticed that her eyes were closed. He grabbed her arm and she hollered again while punching, scratching and kicking him. “No! Stop!” She continued to scream.
Damn it woman be quiet. I’m trying to save you, Jason thought. He tried to pull her to her feet and she yanked back like a child fighting an ass beating. Her eyes opened. Jason pointed behind her and grunted. She studied him with confusion.
“What are you doing?” She asked puzzled. Jason gestured towards the Azrael group coming and she finally turned around. Unfortunately, her vision wasn’t as powerful as Jason’s and couldn’t make out anything beyond the horizon.
“What is it? I…I don’t see anything.” Jason jerked her arm and she finally stood up. He hurried towards the thick grass that he hid in earlier while dragging her along with him.
“Where are we going?” She asked still in shock with her situation.
When they reached a vantage point that could provide cover and visual of the wreckage Jason let go of her arm. He dug into the dirt and began to wipe it all over the woman. She stood there like a stiff mannequin as he wiped the dry earth on her. It was the next best thing to the masking agent, he thought. He finished with a big hug. She tensed up fearing the worst but relaxed when she felt him rubbing his body on her, giving her his scent. Jason aimed his finger towards the truck and she turned to watch. About twelve Azrael converged onto the scene. They began to eat the dead bodies like vultures. The woman’s hand drew to her mouth and she quietly wept. Jason rubbed her back to comfort her. She buried her face into his shoulder. The aroma of blood in the air caused him to salivate. Her injuries urged Jason to feed. His stomach growled again and he felt uncomfortable.
“The children, I failed the children.” She whispered and wept once more. Jason put a finger to his lips to hush her. She noticed what he was doing and quieted down.
“What are you? You’ve got those eyes, but…”
He hushed her once more and pointed at the wreckage again. The Azrael finished eating and began to gather up to leave. The Alpha of the group was leathery and about the size of Jason. His face was Native American looking and he wore a long muddied ponytail. Tattoos on its face were almost faded away from the harsh sun and due to the virus cleansing contaminants from the body. Within fifteen minutes the herd was out of view and beyond hearing range. He nodded towards her with a hand out to invite conversation.
“Are you alone?” She asked. Her breathing became hard once again and she felt like she needed to sit so she did.
Jason nodded, yes.
“Why did you save me?” Her voice cracked and gurgled as she asked.
‘Because you needed to be saved’, is what he thought but only four quick grunts and a growl exited his mouth.
“Can’t you talk?” Her voice finally stabilized.
Jason shook his head, no.
“Oh, well damn. I can’t get much out of you, huh?”
“Jason shook his head, no again.
She began a coughing fit and blood coated her hand.
“I think I need a doctor. I’m in bad shape.”
Jason nodded, yes.
“Do you know where one is?”
Jason shook his head no. He pointed towards the direction of Chicago and shrugged.
“So somewhere in Chicago, huh?”
Jaso
n nodded, yes.
“Let’s get moving then. I don’t have a gun so it might take us a bit to get there.” Her words were garbled again and she started a coughing fit once more.
Eventually, his mind was going to need to sleep and when that happened this woman was going to be in trouble. He worried how he was going to explain that to her in grunts. It worked for the kids but they were all working together to answer his awful gestures. He had to let her know. He stopped in front of her and grabbed both arms. He looked into her eyes.
“What is it? You’re kinda creeping me out.”
Jason pointed to his chest.
“I?” She asked.
Jason nodded yes. He banged his chest again.
“I”
Jason mimed sleeping.
“Sleep”
Jason nodded yes. He put his hands up and tried to look scary.
“Uh, constipated?”
Jason shook his head, no. He made the same gesture.
“Vampire?”
Jason shook his head, no. He did it one more time.
“Zombie?”
Jason nodded, yes. He put his hand up to show he was finished.
“I sleep zombie? That’s it?”
Jason shook his head, no. He placed two hands together and gestured stretching something out.
“I sleep with zombies?”
Jason shook his head.
“I sleep like a zombie?”
Jason shrugged and then shook his head, no. He pointed to a sign nearby indicating the sharp turn.
“sign?”
He shook his head, no.
“Turn?”
He nodded, yes.
“I sleep and turn into zombie?”
He nodded yes. He grunted and spun around in a circle to celebrate.
“For how long?”
Jason mimed waking up.
“So when you wake up, you are like you are right now?”
Jason agreed.
“Well, that’s creepy. How do you get anything done?”
‘I know right’, he thought but a short grunt and a whine came out. His body language said enough.
“It must be frustrating. Have you always been this way?”
Jason nodded, yes.
“Are there more like you?”
Jason shrugged.
“Well, my name is Sophia Nguyen. As you can see…” She gestured to her body. “…I’m not Asian so yes my husband is Vietnamese. It’s nice to meet you.” She shook Jason’s hand.
“What’s your name? Well shit, that could take days.”
Jason agreed.
“Let’s start with letters. When I get to the first letter in your name tell me.”
Jason nodded.
“A…B…C…D…E…F…G…H…I…J.”
Jason grunted.
“J?”
Jason agreed. He stopped her and pointed towards the sun.
“Hot?”
He shook his head in frustration.
“Uh, sky?”
Is she even looking at what he’s pointing at? No, he shook his head.
“Sun?”
Jason nodded, yes finally.
“Jay’s son?” She is awful at this game.
Jason shook his head, no.
“Oh, Jason. Your name’s Jason?”
Jason nodded, yes. He threw his fist in the air and grunted loudly. It frightened her. It was kind of terrifying.
“Well, let’s get moving Jason.”
He grinned and they travelled towards Chicago together. It was going to take a while to get there. He worried that Sophie’s condition was going to worsen. He didn’t have a clue how fucked up this trip would be.
CHAPTER 39: OLD FRIENDS
The sun was setting and Mario knew that he didn’t have much time to make it through the woods before nightfall. Douglas Park was redeveloped for the better since Clip took over. The rotten Azrael pool was gone and traps were well hidden throughout the area. Two Azrael were caught on an impaling trap near the fountain that used to house thousands of Azrael corpses. Clip’s men interrogated Mario as he approached.
“What’s your business here?” The bearded man with a white graphic tee asked.
“I’m here to speak to Clip.” Mario answered.
“Clip? He’s a busy man. What makes you think I’ll take you to him?” He asked.
“He owes me. My name’s…”
“Mario fucking Cortez. What’s up holmes?” Chico interrupted walking over from another post. “He’s alright, he’s with me.” He hit his chest with his pistol.
The guards nodded and relaxed their posture but still studied Mario intently.
“It’s good to see you, Chico. How’ve you been?”
“It’s been good around here. Hell, it’s been much better since you left. Clip turned this motherfucka around. The traps have increased our security tenfold.”
“I’ve noticed. You’ve got two over there by the fountain.”
“Oh, those two. Clip caught those assholes stealing our food. Kicked them out and within a day both of those putas came back just like that. Clip said to leave ‘em there to remind everyone what’s out there if you steal.”
“Makes sense. You worried they’re going to get free?”
“See their ankles, just above the socks?”
“Chains?”
“Fuck yeah, we’re not taking chances.”
“I’d finish them off. The message has been delivered. Now it’s just an outbreak waiting to happen.”
“Not my call bro. You want to see Clip?”
“That’s why I’m here. I lost my team out there.” He gestured behind him to the west.
“Oh, word? If you need help finding them just say the word.”
“Thanks, Chico. I may take you up on that. First, let’s go talk to Clip.”
“Aight, cool. Hey, I know we’re boys but I gotta take your weapons. It’s the rule around here. Only those standing guard duty have weapons.” Chico put his hands up and gestured as if it’s out of his hands.
“I understand. One rifle and one pistol.” Mario announced as he handed over each one.
“Yo, this rifle is dope esé.”
“You can keep it. It belonged to a friend. He won’t need it anymore.” Mario put his head down and attempted a smile.
“Are you serious? Sorry, bro, I can’t take it, man.”
“Take it.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m serious, keep it. Just take care of it, it’s an amazing weapon.”
“Thanks, holmes. I’ll take care of it and put it to good use, I promise.”
“I don’t doubt that Chico.”
“Let’s get moving then.” Chico slung the rifle around his shoulder and led Mario to Clip. Two guards stopped Chico and Mario.
“What’s up, dude? Is Clip busy?” Chico asked.
“He’s with someone right now, an outsider.” One of the guards answered.
“We’ll wait then. Prolly about business. Trade gets you paid.” Chico said.
About fifteen minutes later the doors opened and Phillip walked out.
“It’s just Flip. He ain’t an outsider dog.” Chico explained to the guard.
“Not him. I know that jackass. It’s the other gringo he came here with.”
Chico walked in and a man was sitting on the couch. He was fucked up.
“Damn dude, who kicked your ass?”
“It’s John Chico. Cut him some slack holmes, he just lost his girl to the suits.” Clip scowled.
Mario walked in and hurried to John.
“John, are you okay?” Mario examined John’s face and his body.
“…Mario? Are my ears fucked up too? Is that you man?”
“Yes, it’s me, John. What happened to you? Where is everyone else and who are the suits?”
“We got ambushed and a couple of guys did this to me.” He gestured to his face. “While that shit was happening they took Savanna. They fucking got her man. I fucking l
ost her…” He attempted to contain tears from falling and was successful.
“The suits? Who are those people?”
“Johnny said that a man named Steele led the ambush party to trap people and most definitely it’s to deliver them to the suits.”
“Trade is trade.” Chico admitted. Clip nodded towards the door and Chico stepped out shutting it behind him.
“What do the suits want?”
“I told those assholes that we won’t work for them. They offered a lot of weapons and food, but that shit is just wrong. Human trafficking during all this shit. Fuck that. Now, Steele, that chingada would sell his own mother for a handgun.”
“So, how do we get her back?” Mario asked.
“You can’t. Once they get someone they’re gone.” Clip admitted.
“What if they take me?” Mario asked.
“No Mario. You need a doctor to look at your head. I can’t let you do that. If anyone is going in there it’s me.” John interrupted.
“They won’t take any of you. It’s females they take and not just any females. Ones that are…”
“Immune.” John interrupted.
“Exactly holmes. If yo girl is immune. Shit dude, she’s gone. That’s what they were lookin’ for.” Clip explained.
“Why females? Are they the only ones who are immune?” Mario asked.
“I’ve no fucking clue esé. They just said if we come across any women with Azrael immunities then they will pay a lot of fucking currency for them. But like I said, I’m not into that shit. I’m doing fine trading pharmaceuticals, food, protection, and training.”
“I’m proud of you Clip. You’re doing a good thing here.” Mario shook Clip’s hand.
“Thanks, bro. It means a lot coming from you, Mario the Azrael slayer. This is what I’m going to do. I’ll reach out to the suits and see what information I can find. In the mean time, I suggest heading back to Chicago and getting ya’ll asses some medical attention.”
“We can’t just let them have her Mario.”
“We won’t give up. But it’s foolish to rush in there without the proper intel about our enemy. There is a high chance that she is still alive. She’s smart enough to keep it that way.” Mario comforted John.
“By the way, where’s Chris? Is he outside? Hey, Chris…” John hollered.