15 Years Later: Wasteland

by Nick S. Thomas

  Zed wasn't willing to waste this opportunity.

  "You have no idea what I have been through to get to his point, so don't you dare try and get in my way now! I don't mean you harm, not any of you. All I want is information. Nothing harmful. I want to know where to find my family, is that much to ask?"

  He stared the man down until he looked away.

  "Where are they now?"

  Sasha looked uneasy for a moment, as if not wanting to share the information. It was much like the response he had gotten from Red when pressed similarly.

  "Please don't mess me around. If you have any humanity in you, you will tell me where I can find my wife and daughter."

  That seemed to win her over instantly even though she still wasn't comfortable with the idea.

  "You shouldn't go after them. They are outcasts."

  "Who the hell isn't around here?"

  "Those who follow the Boss and his Generals."

  "I heard the Boss is dead and gone?"

  "Another has taken his place, worse than the last one, and his Generals are more loyal than ever to him."

  "Generals?"

  "Jay," muttered Rave.

  "Generals?" he repeated in disgust, "Jay is nothing more than an arrogant asshole."

  "But he's strong."

  Zed turned to Rave who only nodded in agreement.

  "You really still respect him, don't you?"

  "Everyone does."

  "Why? Has the whole world gone mad?"

  "He's strong, and that means a lot in this world," said Sasha, "We can't buck against him or we pay dearly, just like your brother did."

  "My brother?"

  She looked surprised, but it was finally dawning on her that his story of memory loss was actually true.

  "You mean Johnnie?" he asked.

  She seemed to be uneasy again.

  "Come on, I need to know. I've been walking through this wasteland with not a thought of hope, and now I have you. Please, all I want is information."

  "You can't go there. Nobody that does is ever allowed back."

  "I don't care. Just tell me."

  "There is a small town, more than a hundred miles North of here they say. That's where your brother went, last I heard."

  He frowned as he tried to understand why she was so reserved and worried to tell him.

  "Calico, that's what you mean, isn't it?"

  "You knew about this place, Rave?" he asked angrily.

  "Everyone does, but I didn't know who was there."

  "Well, what's the deal, what is it, Sasha?"

  "It's where your brother and his followers ran to and have been ever since. Ever since he lost to the Boss. We had such hope that we could be freed of this life, but he failed."

  "And the Boss just let them be?"

  "As long as they never came back this way," added Rave.

  It didn't make sense to him.

  Why leave an enemy on your borders?

  "You can't go there," said Sasha.

  "To hell with that. It's the only place I do have to go. I need answers. I need my family."

  He felt somehow that there was plenty she wasn't telling him, and didn't want to. But he didn't want to push it. It looked like they had been through enough as it was, and she was at least the first person to help him without being forced into doing so.

  "Why don't you come with us? Got to be a better life up North than what you have here."

  "No, at least we are safe here."

  Zed laughed. "Safe? This place is insane."

  "And it's our home," snapped one of the men.

  He couldn't argue with that. He didn't have anything to his name but what he carried.

  "How do I find this place, what was it, Calico?"

  "Please, if you have any faith in me at all, don't go."

  She seemed to have a genuine care for him, and that made it all the worse because she was as a stranger to him. Same as everyone else in this world was.

  "You said my brother was there, is my wife there, too?"

  She nodded. "Last I heard. But that was some time ago."

  It was the best lead he had gotten yet.

  "Please don't go. I don't know how you are still alive, but you have a chance to make a life now. Come with us. We can make it together."

  He could see she genuinely meant it, but they both knew he couldn't let it go. He couldn't go on living without knowing what had happened to those he cared about most.

  "I'm sorry, but you know that’s not possible. I don't know what I am supposed to do here, but I can't go on without finding out what I can. I am sorry I don't remember you, Sasha, but you seem like a nice person, and you've been the first I have met around here that has helped without trying to kill me," he said as he looked around to Rave.

  She responded with a sly smirk as if she found the whole thing entertaining. He climbed back onto the bike and fired it up, but Sasha came right towards him and reached in to kiss him. He turned just slightly so that her lips touched his cheek.

  "Good luck, you'll need it."

  He nodded in gratitude before pulling his goggles back on.

  "My wife, what's her name?"

  "Lannie."

  He smiled in response.

  "We’ve got some miles to cover. Let's move."

  He pulled away, reaching a casual thirty miles per hour as Rave came up alongside him. They both knew they had to try and make the fuel last as best they could, and the rough ground didn't help either. They rode on without a word. Maybe neither had anything to say, or maybe they just didn't want to eat dust and sand in doing so.

  They did not stop. The bikes were only good for as long as their fuel lasted, no point in dragging it out. They had been riding for almost three hours when Rave's bike conked out. She rolled to a halt, using the last of her momentum to get at least a few more feet, as if that would make a difference. He drew up alongside her. She leapt onto the rear mudguard, and he sped off. They managed just another five minutes of riding before his bike ran dry, too.

  It was a shame, but at least they now had some peace. The rasp of the exhaust and the drone of the engine had given him a pounding headache. He took a small drink of water and carried onwards on foot in silence. The fact they were going further and further from a source of food and water was not lost on him. All based on a rumour, but it was the only direction that made any sense.

  They walked on for another three hours. The ground was becoming steeper, and there were thin outcrops of trees and bushes, but nothing that food grew on. The sun was lowering now, and despite Zed's will to go on, his feet ached and he was tired. He strode up to a sheltered piece of rock and threw down his bag as if laying claim to the ground. Rave was more than happy to stop. He gathered some wood together from the nearby trees and started a fire. Just as before, he didn't even know why he did it, but it was as comforting as it had been before. Rave seemed to appreciate it, too. She pulled out a glass jar from her pack and a spoon and fork.

  He expected her to pass him one, but she merely popped it open and held it out to share. It was about the most unappetizing meal he could think of, even worse than he had when in the pit at Jaytown. The contents were a slimy mess. He wasn't even sure what it was, but clearly Rave had survived on it, and so he had to trust her judgement. The food was gone quickly and far from filling, but it was a relief when he had his last mouthful because the taste was revolting.

  "What I wouldn't give for a smoke," he said as they finished.

  Do I even smoke?

  The craving was there when he hadn't previously noticed it. Maybe it was wishful thinking that he might have a way to rid himself of the taste of what they had just endured.

  "What is it like?" Rave asked.

  "Smoking?" he laughed, "To be honest I don't really remember, but I bet it would feel real good right about now, just like a nice cold beer."

  "Jaytown has beer."

  Zed was surprised to hear that.

  "How has it lasted this long?
"

  "They make it in the town."

  He scowled and sighed.

  "Wow, I bet that tastes wonderful," he replied sarcastically.

  "Tastes good to me."

  "Yeah, well, I am sorry if I don't take your word for it. I doubt you ever tasted a good beer."

  "All this talk of how good life used to be, why? You can't have that anymore."

  "I'm starting to get that."

  "Why not just enjoy what you have?"

  He chuckled. "And what is that?

  "You're alive."

  "That's something, I guess."

  The evening went on quietly for hours. It seemed like they had nothing left to talk about. She didn't know very much, and he couldn't remember hardly anything at all. It brought a smile to his face as he realised what a ridiculous pair they were.

  "What if you don't find what you are looking for?"

  "This town, I am sure we will find it soon enough. Might take a few days or weeks, but we'll find it."

  "No, the people. What if you do not find them, or they do not want to be found?"

  He shrugged. The prospect hadn't even crossed his mind.

  Chapter 11

  They had been walking for hours. The heat was as unrelenting as every day he had been awake in this hellish scenario. Sweat dripped down his face, and he could not help but feel disgusting. What he wouldn't give for a shower.

  "There much water around these days?" he asked Rave.

  "Enough."

  "Where does it come from?"

  She didn’t answer, and he was starting to wonder if it was worth asking any more questions, but he wasn't going to give up just yet.

  "Stop right there!" a voice boomed.

  It echoed around the area, and they couldn't work out where it had come from.

  "We're not looking for a fight!" Zed yelled.

  "Turn on around and head back the way you came!"

  "I...I can't do that!"

  He looked around. Rave was anxious and wanted to move to cover and close in on whomever it was that seemed hostile.

  "No, we aren't fighting," he whispered to her.

  She froze, and he could only hope she would stay put.

  "You aren't welcome here! Move on!"

  "You don't even know us," he replied.

  "Don't need to, no strangers."

  "Mmm, sounds familiar. I guess folks round here aren't all that neighbourly?"

  "What?"

  He didn't want to have to explain it to Rave right now. He started to walk forward very slowly and made no attempt to reach for any weapons.

  "All I'm trying to do is find my family, is that so much to ask for?"

  A man arose from the rocks. He was of a similar age to Zed, but looking nothing alike. He was black with curly hair, a little thinner and taller than he was. He didn't have the murderous eyes that Zed had gotten so used to seeing lately. This was just a man trying to do his job.

  "You know Johnnie, don't you? And Lannie?"

  He could tell from the change of expression in his face that he did.

  "Just take me to them. They will know who I am."

  Or at least he hoped they would.

  "I can't do that."

  He had a gun in his hands, a pump shotgun. Looked like police issue or at least that simple and workmanlike. He lifted it and pointed it at Zed, but he didn't look all that confident or sadistic enough to use it.

  "I didn't come here to hurt you, and I don't want anything from you. I just want my family back. That is worth dying for. So I am coming forward. You can either shoot me or let me pass, because there ain't no other way this is gonna end."

  He kept going forward and raised his right hand slowly and in plain view.

  "What are you doing?" demanded the jumpy looking man.

  "It's okay. I just want to show you something. I am not going for a weapon, you can see that," he said, stopping for a moment as if to wait for approval.

  "Ain't nothing you got to show me that is gonna change my mind!"

  "Then it won't do any harm, will it?" he replied calmly.

  He reached in slowly and drew out a single photo. He turned it round to show the guard.

  "Lannie, do you know her?"

  He could see immediately in his face that the name meant something. He stepped a little closer so he could see her face on the photo.

  "You do, don't you?"

  "Ye...yeah, I suppose I do."

  "She means an awful lot to me, and I am going to her whether you like it or not. But I can sure tell you she won't be too happy if you fill me full of buckshot."

  The man groaned. "But I have..."

  "I know, I know. You aren't allowed to let people pass. But I am not here to rob you. I don't want anything from you or your town. I just want to know Lannie is safe and to see her with my own eyes. I am not trying to trick you."

  He could see he didn’t want to shoot him. He wasn't a violent man at heart.

  "I can't take you there. I have to stay here a while longer."

  "All right, then tell us where to go."

  He still looked uneasy, but it was obvious that he was going to help them, one way or the other. He huffed one last time and finally pointed to a narrow path at his back.

  "Just head on up. Tell them Frankie sent you, and that I'm watching TV."

  "What?" Rave asked.

  But Zed didn't argue with the man. He only hoped they were being sent with the right code; the one that would get them entry, and not the one that would get them shot. They would have to take the chance.

  "Just don't raise any kind of trouble or it'll be on me."

  Zed smiled.

  "You see, Rave, there are some good people left."

  They carried on past Frankie, and as soon as they were far enough away, Rave did not hesitate to comment on him.

  "Useless, he ain't stopping anyone."

  "You think that gun was even loaded?"

  "Probably not."

  "I guess nobody ever wants to take the chance?"

  She grunted in approval.

  They followed a narrow trail that got steeper as it rose between two large rocks, and finally they reached civilisation. A wooden shack at first, but nobody insight. They could hear voices up ahead. It struck both of them as more than a little strange that there was so little attention to guarding what they had. The area around them opened up into a communal area. Shacks were built on each side, many in such a regimented and machine like manner they were clearly something from before this life began. Others were more rudimentary affairs.

  A number of people went back and forth, but Zed's eyes were fixated on just one, a woman carrying a bundle of firewood. He recognised her instantly. She looked barely any older than the photo he had in his pocket. She soon noticed his gaze and stopped dead. She seemed to stop breathing for a moment before she dropped the logs at her feet.

  "It can't be? Zed?"

  He nodded. She approached with a little hesitation.

  "Johnnie said you were dead."

  He just stood there, rooted on the spot, for he didn't have any answers. Finally, as she drew nearer, she leapt at him and threw her arms around him. She began to weep, but that relief soon turned to anger, and she pushed away.

  "Where have you been all these years? Why did you leave us?"

  He shook his head as he tried to find his words.

  "I...I don't remember."

  "You don't remember?" she quivered as she wept.

  She slapped him and kept hitting him, but he didn't respond.

  "Do you know what you put me through? You weren't even here for your daughter when she was dying."

  That hit him even harder. She looked into his eyes for a moment and was not surprised to see no remorse, and yet that was not his intention. He was too shocked to find a sensible way to respond.

  "Where have you been?" she demanded.

  It was too much for him. He dropped down to his knees and was stone faced as he stared blankly forwar
ds.

  "Why even come back now?"

  She again came forward to slap him, but Rave stepped nearer and scowled at her. It was very clear she wasn't going to let it happen again.

  "I see how it is."

  "He doesn't remember. He already told you that."

  "I am sorry if I ever did anything to hurt you, and I will do all that I can to make it right, but I just...just don't know anything. I woke up a few days ago, and the last memory I had was of a barbecue with you and our daughter when these photos were taken," he said, pulling out the image of them.

  Once again she wept as she saw the photo, and as she looked back to his blank face, she was starting to believe him.

  "I don't know why this happened or where I have been. All I know is I woke up with a few photos in my pocket, and knew that somehow I needed to find you."

  She lashed out once more. It was quick enough that Rave couldn't stop her. This time it was not a slap, but a punch. A diamond ring on her finger cut deep into his cheek, and he keeled over for a second before getting back up. The cut went right across his cheek and nose, and the moment she saw it, she seemed to show remorse.

  "I am so sorry," she said, kneeling down to check the wound. He didn't say a word and stared into her eyes.

  "I...come on, let's get that cleaned up."

  He got to his feet and followed her over to a bench. She pulled out a wad of cotton, poured just the smallest amount of water onto it from a flask at her side, and began to wipe down his wound. He was still blank and speechless. There were so many questions he wanted answered, and yet no words were coming to him.

  "Johnnie will be so glad to see you. He won't be long now," she said, "He was good to me after you left, and has been all the way through."

  A boy who was close to ten years old approached them.

  "Who is this, Mommy?"

  "This is your daddy’s brother. He is your uncle. Say hello to your nephew, Wyatt," she said calmly.

  It had not been what Zed had expected to hear at all, and it was starting to dawn on him now just what that meant. He turned back to Lannie as if looking for answers.

  "You've been gone a long time. Your brother looked after me, protected me, and loved me."

  "But...we..."

  "Don't, you have no right. You weren't there for me, so you have no right to an opinion on this."