“This ain’t going to plan,” she said.
“There was a plan?” Lannie asked.
The rasp of a motorbike engine caught their attention. The bike leapt over the rocks at the rear of the town and landed in amongst them. It hit the ground so hard that the suspension bottomed out, and the bike bounced up off the ground, the rider holding on for dear life. But he managed it all right. He drew out a spiked mace from the front forks as he raced towards Zed.
He wasn’t going to get caught out a second time. He spun out and away from the vehicle, swinging the butt of the rifle like a club. It struck the rider in the throat, and he was lifted off the bike as it raced on past and landed hard on the floor. He was desperately gasping for air, but Zed just lifted up the butt and smashed it down on his head to finish him off.
Lannie looked appalled by the brutality, but Rave seemed to be appreciating his work. Zed knelt down and picked up the huge machete that was lying on the ground. The blade was three feet long and curved and flared towards the tip. The grip was almost two feet long and nylon wrapped. The entire weapon was black, except for the edge, and scratches and corrosion along the flat. It had seen a lot of action. It was a brutal and savage weapon, and it felt right at home in Zed’s hands.
Screams rang out, and one of their people took a full power strike from a steel bat to the face. Teeth flew from the man’s mouth as he collapsed, but the Braves’ numbers were dwindling. The other bike jumped from the rocks where the last one had come, but had done so without seeing the landing point. It came down right on top of one of their own before spinning out and throwing the rider. He went into a tumble and rolled to a halt a few feet in front of Zed.
He tried to get up, but it was the perfect opportunity to try out his new weapon. He swung the machete and hit the man’s neck with absolute precision. The blade passed right through and took his head with it. It was a gruesome scene that made Lannie want to throw up, and Johnnie rushed to be by her side.
The last few Braves were backing off to their truck.
“Get out of our town!” yelled Johnnie.
“Kill them all!” Zed ordered.
The townspeople hesitated at the mixed messages. The last few Braves jumped onto the truck in a panic as it raced off, leaving their wounded behind. Zed rushed to the collapsed entrance to see them off and finish any remaining, but they were gone, already fifty feet from the door by the time he got there. Johnnie was by his side.
“Maybe you haven’t changed,” he said with suspicion.
Zed wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
“We just let them get away.”
“Let them go. We aren’t in this to kill people. We are fighting to defend ourselves. I know somewhere along the line you forgot that, but we haven’t.”
Chapter 17
The town was awash with blood, and the screams of pain and suffering echoed throughout. Most of the townspeople looked exhausted, sickened, and in shock. Either this was a bloodthirsty episode the likes they had never seen before, or a brutal reminder of a time they would rather forget.
“That what you wanted?” Rave asked.
They were looking back from the broken entrance at the devastation and casualties.
“It’s not about what I want. It’s about what these people need.”
“And you think you can give it to them?”
He shrugged. He was already losing faith in what he was doing. Before he had risked his own life, and that of a crazy friend who once tried to kill him. But now he had asked strangers to risk their lives for a cause he believed in. It didn’t seem so simple anymore.
“Why did you really come back?”
He didn’t have an answer for that either and ignored his brother. Johnnie just sighed and mumbled as he walked away.
“Your brother really hates you, doesn’t he?”
“He sure does, Rave.”
“Why?”
“That’s what I’m still trying to figure out.”
Zed turned his attention to the prisoners that were tied up. The three they had taken earlier, and two wounded that had been left behind. Their hands were bound behind them, and then looped through a steel pole clamped to a nearby building. They sat helpless and at the town’s mercy.
"What do we do with them now?" Miles asked.
"Can't let them go," replied Rave.
There was a moment’s silence as they thought it over. Everyone knew they couldn't afford to feed and care for prisoners.
"Kill them," Lannie finally announced.
"What?" Zed asked. He was shocked by her outburst.
Before he could do anything, she snatched Rave's hatchet out of her hands and burrowed it into a prisoner’s head, killing him instantly. Zed rushed forward and took hold of her as she drew out the blade ready to carry on her work.
"No!" he cried, pushing her back.
"Let go of me!" she screamed.
He did so but stood between her and the prisoners.
"Don't do this. Don't become them."
"What else can we do? They tried to kill us. They have my son!"
Even Rave was astonished by how he protected them. He turned back to look at them. They were anxious and scared. Only the Mohawk remained strong.
"I want an end to all this. We all do. If I set you free, promise me you will not go back to Jaytown, and you will not come to do us harm again?"
The Mohawk smiled.
"What's so funny?"
"You will never let us go."
Zed stepped up to the building and unlatched the bolt, slipped it open, and drew it from them all.
"You can't do this. They'll try and kill us," pleaded Lannie.
Zed shook his head.
"There are some things I just won't do. We are defending ourselves. This isn't defence."
He spun the Mohawk around and untied the ropes around his wrists until he stretched his arms out freely. He was a big man and strongly built. Not the sort Zed would like to have to face, and yet the look in his eyes showed no aggression at all. He was like a wild beast that had been set free.
"Don't go back to Jay, and never come here again. I won't be so kind a second time!" Zed declared, as he untied the last of their bonds.
"I can't spare you any food or water. Jay had already taken too much from this town, but I will let you leave with your lives."
They were stunned.
"I'm not Jay. I am not a cruel son of a bitch. So go!"
The Mohawk stood up slowly before helping one of the wounded onto his shoulder and walking out through the open doorway.
"You know they could go right back to Jay. Tell him all about our camp, our weaknesses," said Lannie.
"I know."
"So why?"
"Because there has to be more to life than just surviving."
She didn't seem happy, but Zed turned back to the entrance and watched them leave with Rave by his side.
"I have never seen anyone do that before," she said.
It didn't surprise him. Whatever he had been doing these past few years, he was bringing some of the civility he knew to them now. Perhaps that is what they needed.
"They will come back and try to kill you, and me, and all of us."
"Yeah, maybe."
"And still you let them go?"
He nodded. "If it had been you tied up there. Would you want me to have killed you or set you free?"
It was clear the option had never even occurred to her.
"It's what I would have wanted," he added.
She still didn't understand it. The bodies of the dead had already been loaded onto an old car trailer. Four of the men were pulling it out of the town with a pile of shovels stocked on top of the bodies, friend and foe alike. An hour later there was no sign of the pain and suffering, except for bandages and cuts on the survivors. Nobody had the energy or willpower to start rebuilding the defences, should they need them. There was an unspoken hope that it was all over.
Zed sat on a st
ump of firewood in the main square. He watched and waited for a response from the townspeople. He had led them to this point, and he expected some recourse. They began to gather until thirty of them stood in a circle around him. He wasn't sure if they were there to salute or lynch him. All looked to Lannie to lead the way, and that worried him. Their last encounter had not left things in the best of ways.
Rave stood by him, clutching her hatchet by her side. She could feel the danger that was around them, and she didn't like being so enclosed, but Zed gestured for her to relax.
"He left us long ago, but he came back to us now. I wanted to kill those men who attacked our town, all of them. But have we gone so far from who we were? Zed has shown us there is still a better way!"
Cheers rang out. They whistled, cheered, and clapped. It was a sound of ecstatic excitement that he had not heard since the arena in Jaytown.
"Come on, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked in an elated tone and with a big smile.
He couldn't believe his luck. He'd gotten off to an awful start in this new life, and even those who he cared for seemed to not want him. Yet now he stood a hero amongst them.
Is this for real?
In the distance he could see his brother at the wall, shaking his head in disgust. More than anything he wanted to know why, but he turned his attention back to the crowd.
"Thank you for taking me in. You didn't have to. Had no reason to. I am still sorry if I brought trouble here. It certainly wasn't my intention. But I promise you I will do everything I can to defend it and make a better life for us all."
Lannie smiled in response and began to clap as the others joined in.
"All right! Enough talk, let's party!"
She handed him a metal cup. The smell was harsh and acidic, like cheap vodka, but worse."
"What is this?"
She smiled. "It's what we’ve had since the wine ran out!"
He smelt it again. It had to be something they were making themselves. It was so crude he couldn’t bear to touch it, and yet as he drank, its warming effects kicked in instantly. He hated to think what his head would be like in the morning, but for now it was a welcome relief.
Similar glasses were handed out to all. He looked around and found only a few remained on guard duty. The town was weak and vulnerable, but he could see they needed it. He needed it. To finally feel free and happy, something he doubted he would ever feel again. A man and woman nearby pulled out a guitar and bongo drum and began to play something he didn't recognise. As he finished his cup, Lannie pulled him up from his seat and started dancing, but he just couldn't find his feet.
"Come on, dance with me."
"Can I dance?"
"After enough drinks, sure!" she laughed.
When he didn't respond, she closed in and wrapped his hand around her waist. She took up his other, and he began to at least sway back and forth in a rather pathetic attempt at dancing. Her hands were warm, and he felt her breath on his face now she was so close. It was such a comforting feeling.
It feels like...home.
He closed his eyes and for a moment able was able to dream he was back there before all this began. Back at the BBQ, drinking bottled beers and seeing his brother smile. The dream was broken when he was pushed aside, and his eyes opened to see Johnnie before him. His grip had been lost as he pulled her away.
"Come on, you are making a fool of yourself," he said, as he led her away.
She looked far from happy, but it wasn't Zed's place to intervene. Instead, he went back to the jugs of whatever they were handing out and poured another glass. He knocked half of it back and recoiled at how foul it tasted, but he couldn't help but drink more.
"That was impressive today," said Rave.
"Yeah?"
"Never seen anyone stand up to Jaytown Braves and live."
He laughed. "Jay is a bully and an asshole. He just needed someone to tell him no for a change."
"But he still has those people, and the kid."
Zed nodded. That weighed heavily on him, too, and he didn't doubt that it would be a topic of much contention over the coming days.
"And you haven't got anything to bargain with no more."
They drank for another few hours and tried to forget, but their attention was soon drawn to the sound of a vehicle roaring towards them. It was the cruiser that had escaped them earlier that day. It stopped half a mile out from their town, out of range of most of their weapons. No one was willing to waste rounds over that distance. They could just make out something being tossed off the back of the vehicle before it spun around and sped off into the distance.
"What is that?" Rave asked.
Zed turned back to address the town.
"Everyone stay here, but have your weapons ready. Be ready for anything!"
He threw his rifle on his back and jumped onto one of the dirt bikes they had acquired that day. He kick started it, but as he was about to pull away, he felt someone leap onto the back. It was Rave. He thought to tell her to get off, but he was glad of her company. The tyre spun as they tore off into the distance.
It wasn't long before they reached the area where the car had stopped, and it soon became obvious that it was a body they had left behind. He stopped beside it and hung his head in shame and disappointment. He kicked the stand down and got off. There was blood all over the body from multiple wounds, and it was lying face down in the dirt. He turned it over to recognise the young man instantly.
"Ed," he whispered.
There was a piece of wood tied to his chest and a message painted on it. It read 'Jay says no.'
Zed was distraught, but Rave was not surprised or shocked at all.
"This is what happens when you mess with Jay," she stated.
He could tell she was just being matter of fact about it all, but he felt like his whole world was falling apart. He'd done everything he could to protect the town. He could live with the deaths of those who defended it, but not this. He dropped to his knees before the body and stared at Ed's bloody face. There were no words of comfort from Rave. She didn't understand the concept.
"Zed, let's get him back to town."
She helped him get the body onto the back of the bike and let him ride on back while she walked. He didn't even want to go back. He didn't want to have to tell them that the young man was dead. As he rolled into the camp, he could see their faces, and they were just as he had expected. There was a cold hard feeling of hatred, and it was quickly turning towards him. He parked in the middle of the camp where they had so recently been partying and laid the man's body down. Many of those around him began to cry. It hit them hard, and he wasn't surprised.
"Get that thing off him," snapped Lannie.
Zed knelt down, untied the sign, and threw it off, but that revealed another message painted on the underside.
'Give us the stranger or tomorrow another dies.'
It struck right at his heart, and he didn't know what to say or do. A few of them picked up Ed’s body. With shovels they wandered off to bury him, despite how tired they were. Zed staggered over to the walls and slumped down on the rocks.
I can't stand it any longer. I can't take it.
He looked up at the sky as the sun was beginning to set.
"Why?" he asked, "Why does it have to be so difficult? Why him? Why not me?"
He spoke as if he was talking to God or some higher being, but no answer came. His plan had failed. There would be no peace, and there would be no rest that night.
Chapter 18
"I told you to leave and that you weren't welcome here. I told you it's your fault that we are like this! It was back then, and it is again now!"
His brother stood next to him while he sat on the rocks. The effects of the alcohol were starting to wear off now, or perhaps it was the shock having a sobering effect. He turned to his brother. Gone was the sadness, replaced quickly by anger at the hatred that was continually shown towards him.
"All right, I've had en
ough. Just tell me, what the fuck is your beef?"
Johnnie shook his head.
"Come on, tell me. Once and for all, get it out!"
"You really want to know?"
"This has been hanging over me since I got here, and I've had enough. Tell me, please, Johnnie!"
Johnnie could see he genuinely couldn't remember, and that made him hesitate to tell him for a moment.
"There's no going back from this. Maybe it's best you don't know. Maybe you'll never remember. You have a chance to get out. Just go and find a new life."
"I've had quite enough. Do you have any idea what it's like not really knowing who you are? So why, Johnnie? Why do you hate me so much?"
His brother looked around as if to check if anyone else could hear. As if there was some great secret to reveal.
"Because you’re him."
"Who?"
"Remember the throne, with the skulls of your enemies on top of it."
That sparked a memory in his mind as he saw himself sitting comfortably before a crowd loyal to him.
"Remember the mask, which you used to strike fear into people’s hearts."
He recalled putting it on. A mask made from the skull of an animal and adorned with a vertical spike and a white hair atop it. It was like remembering some kind of horror movie. This was nothing he had seen since waking up, nor from before the apocalyptic event that started it all. These were memories in between. The memories he had been searching for.
"You see it now, don't you?"
He nodded slowly.
"You are the Boss. Or were."
He felt his heart sink. He had heard nothing but terrifying stories of that man since he arrived.
"Can't be, Johnnie. No way."
He got up to walk away as he couldn't bear to hear any more. But as he did so, his brother grabbed him and stopped him from leaving.
"You won't listen to me, and you won't do what's right. So maybe it's about time you heard the truth."
He was still shaking his head from the shock.
"That wasn't me, no!"
His brother just shook him to snap him out of it.
15 Years Later: Wasteland Page 13