Savage Mist

by Jason Merchant

“The same thing happened to me during the firefight, I thought it was the end of us.”

  “Same here.” she looked over at Charles who was sitting quietly in the front passenger seat unharmed, a lump formed in her throat and she turned away.

  “You good?” Jamal asked

  “Yea I’m okay. . . I think.”

  She sat bewildered in the backseat recounting the events of her dream and trying to rationalize it all. She looked up at Xavier who was still focused on her from the driver seat.

  “Did you watch everybody. . . die, in your dream?” Sheila asked.

  “Yea I did, I got to experience my own end too, it was terrifying. Did you get dizzy at all, before you passed out?”

  “Yea I did, I felt hot and nauseous too.”

  “Yea me too.”

  “Do you think we’re infected?” she whispered so Charles wouldn't hear her.

  “I don't think so, we’re still here, still. . . us.

  Sheila leaned back into her seat and looked out the window briefly before forcing her eyes down to her lap. The last thing she was doing before she passed out was gazing out the window, she didn't dare risk a repeat.

  Regina walked out of the store with Heather not far behind her. She was dressed much like Xavier given the limited selection of clothing in the store. They both carried two backpacks each and loaded them into the cab of the truck.

  “What's all this” Xavier asked.

  “Ammo” Regina replied. “The world apparently changed overnight.”

  “Just our world” Heather mumbled.

  They got in the truck and continued south. The savages had thinned out and gave the group some hope that they were closer to safety, a hope that was short lived. Xavier slowed the truck to a stop and shut off the engine. He sat back in his seat and sighed. The street was filled with cars and completely blocked.

  The group got out of the truck and began trying to devise a way to continue south. Jamal climbed on the roof of a box truck to get a better view into the distance.

  “Yo, they got those concrete things in the middle of the road.”

  “You mean barriers?” Regina responded

  “Yea, some of the cars look burned out too.”

  Xavier walked around to the front of the pickup and signaled for the attention of the group.

  “Okay look, we obviously have to continue on foot, hopefully we can find another truck on the other side of the barricade. The question is, where do we go when we find one? I’m thinking east, there has to be some direction to some refuge...”

  “You mean a refugee camp?” Regina interrupted.

  “Well, where else do we go?”

  Jamal jumped down from the truck and joined the group for the discussion.

  “I’m going south, federal way, I gotta find my mom, she's at home alone.”

  “We can help each other to Des Moines, that's where my husband is” Sheila said. “He’s in a wheelchair though, so that'll be as far as I’ll be of any use to you.”

  “That's cool, I'll be fine on my own.”

  “No, you won't” Heather replied, “you don't know what's out there or how widespread this whole thing is, I’ll go with, I have family in federal way.”

  The group seemed to agree on moving south, Regina and Jacob had also got on board. Xavier noticed Charles still sitting in the cab of the truck, the group had forgotten that they were all still strangers to him. Xavier couldn't imagine what the boy was going through, but at the moment, he knew the group was all he had.

  Xavier went to the truck and began loading ammunition into some of the magazines they still had.

  “What's going on?” Regina asked.

  “Lisa” he replied quietly.

  “You know there's nothing you can do for her, don't be stupid” she whispered back.

  “I promised him. I have nothing here, no family here, I have nothing to lose. If Lisa dies, he loses everything.”

  “You think you're just going to do some Rambo shit and make them all a happy family again?”

  “. . .or die trying.”

  After loading up several magazines with ammunition and storing more into his backpack, he put the rifle on the dash and tucked a pistol into his waistband. He walked to the passenger side of the truck and spoke to Charles.

  “I’m going to go find your mom, I don't know if I will find her, but I’m going to try, because I promised you I would. No matter what, I want you to stay with Regina, she’s really nice and really pretty” he smirked as he lifted an eyebrow to Regina. “She’s going to take care of you and make sure you’re alright, can you promise me you’ll stay with her?”

  Charles nodded his head “Okay.”

  He turned to the rest of the group and wished them well, then he got in the driver's seat of the truck. Regina helped Charles down out of the passenger seat and closed the door. Before Xavier could drive off, Regina ran around to the driver's side door and opened it.

  “We’ll be going to Fort Lewis, no matter what happens, I’ll get him there. You promise me you’ll meet us there, you promise me you won't be stupid.”

  He smiled but said nothing, just nodded, then he drove away.

  The rest of the group began moving on foot through the grave of abandoned cars. Heather took the lead with Jacob, they moved cautiously past each car, preparing themselves for whatever surprises were waiting for them. As they arrived closer to the barricade a scarier picture developed of the events that took place on this street; cars were riddled bullet holes, some with bodies still in them, vehicles were burned, and dead bodies littered the space between cars. People were massacred as they tried to escape. The group stepped over and sometimes, onto bodies, the closer they got to the barricade, the bloodier the scene became.

  When they reached the barricade, to their surprise, nothing awaited them, the area was completely abandoned. There were no savages and no clutter. They climbed over the wall one by one. Jacob helped Regina over and surveyed the area as she jumped down from the barricade.

  “What the hell is going on? This makes no sense. How can a simple 3-foot barricade separate peace and chaos so cleanly?” Jacob exclaimed.

  “I don't know, but I wouldn’t call it all peaceful just yet, there's a reason there aren't any people here.”

  They stuck to the arterial streets and walked hoping to find an abandoned vehicle. It had seemed the area was totally evacuated. Most of the homes looked like they left in a hurry, gates were left open, drapes and blinds were undone, things were left behind on lawns, an aura of fear lingered.

  As they walked past a large blue house on the corner, Charles noticed the blinds move in a window on second floor. He called Regina's attention to it, she stopped and decided to knock on the door. Sheila held Charles back near the sidewalk while Regina approached the door.

  “This probably isn't a good idea” Heather spoke from behind the group.

  “Why not? Maybe they can tell us what happened, and where to go.”

  “They’re gonna tell us where to go alright.”

  Regina knocked 3 solid times on the door to the blue 2 two story home. She didn't want to seem aggressive with her knock; she also didn't want to seem too timid. The there was a long silence and Regina had just about decided to quit while she was ahead, then a man's voice spoke loudly through the door.

  “We don't want any trouble, leave before you attract more of those killers.”

  “Sir we don't want anything from you but information, we just came from down-”

  “I said leave” he yelled.

  Regina leaned back and looked at the door in offense to the man’s tone. She wanted to tell him off, but better judgment won the battle in her head and she opted to quietly walk away.

  “It’s cool, we don't need them right now, we just need a car. Anybody know how to hotwire a car?” Jamal said as he smirked.

  “Not in front of a cop they don't “Jacob replied with a laugh.

  “I do” Heather said. But only older cars, like fr
om the 80’s or maybe the 90’s.”

  Jamal raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Well then I’m glad you're here because I am not trying to walk 20 miles.”

  Xavier hurried back into downtown, he drove as fast as the roads would let him. Debris, abandoned cars, savages and dead bodies covered most of the road and made some streets impassable. Xavier's mind was focused on Lisa, he knew his chances of saving her were slim, but he couldn't live with himself if he left her for dead. He felt responsible for her...connected.

  The entire idea of driving back into Chinese controlled territory, alone, with 2 guns and no plan, was ridiculous. Lisa was a stranger to him 24 hours ago, what made her worth risking death? He thought. He promised Charles he’d find her but the further they got from the city, the more apparently empty the promise turned out to be. It was a matter of honor, being there for people who were there for him. Lisa saved his life, just like he saved hers. A bond had been formed.

  As Xavier made it back towards the downtown area, the savages began to increase in numbers. It wasn't too much of a problem for the time being, he didn't need to exit the vehicle until he found the Chinese base camp.

  A helicopter hovered over the Columbia tower, the tallest building in the city, that seemed like the most logical place to start looking. He drove closer and parked the truck once he was able to evade some stray savages that had spotted him. He got out and proceeded on foot. It was still morning and the sun was high in the sky, if he was going to accomplish anything, it wasn't going to be in the middle of the day. He needed a place high enough to recon the area.

  There was another building adjacent to the Columbia tower that overlooked the street below, the problem was, Xavier had no idea what was in the building. If the Chinese had soldiers in the building, he’d have to fight his way out and probably lose, if there were savages, the gunshots would draw the attention of the Chinese. There was no easy answer, but Xavier was certain he could not spend too much time exposed on the street.

  Xavier hugged the wall of the building and stayed low, he needed to peek around the corner to see if there were any guards out front. The front of the building was clear, there was no activity, which meant the chances of soldiers inside were small, but not impossible. He needed to get a better view of the lobby from outside.

  Xavier was on the south face of the building which put it between him and the area he would be surveilling for the day, clear skies meant few shadows for him to operate in, so he needed to get off the street in a hurry. Still hugging the wall, he rounded the corner and hurried up the marble and concrete steps to the lobby doors. He stayed low in the corner trying to get a look in the lobby, he didn't see any movement.

  His heart raced, all it would take was a helicopter flying overhead, or a vehicle passing by to spot him and tip off the firefight that would eventually result in his being shot to death. A bead of sweat ran down his forehead, stopped and suspended itself from the tip of his nose. It tickled, it was a distraction, his discipline wasn't what it used to be. He took his eyes from the lobby to the tip of his nose and wiped the sweat away. It was a simple action that took a couple of seconds, just long enough to change the focus of his vision from the lobby window, to the reflection on it. A savage in full sprint headed straight toward him.

  Xavier turned around just quick enough to get his hands out in front of him, the savage crashed into him, they bounced off the thick glass and fell to the concrete. The sound echoed off the skyscrapers, Xavier could only hope the sound would be dismissed as savages were roaming about.

  Xavier quickly began to realize the sound of the impact wasn't his biggest worry, he would have to shoot the savage to defeat it. A gunshot would be a lot more cause for alarm for the Chinese, he needed to kill the savage quietly and quickly. The savage’s superior strength and speed meant Xavier would need to outsmart it, a straight up fight was suicide.

  He decided to take his chances inside the building, it was safer than risking drawing the attention of more savages on the street. He got up quickly and sprinted into the lobby, the savage in close pursuit. The deeper he could get into the building, the better he could muffle the sound of gunfire to those outside.

  He cut sharp to the left on the dark blue carpet, the savage went wide trying stay with him. He curved to the right around a couch in the lobby, it slowed the savage enough to create some distance between them. He ran to the stairwell near the elevators. As he approached yet another stairwell for his survival, he frowned. He pushed open the door to the stairwell and ran up to the second level, the savage followed about a flight behind. Xavier kept moving until the door to the stairwell closed. He reached for his waistline to quickly draw his pistol, it wasn't there, it must have fallen out in front of the building. He reached around to his rifle and swung it to his front as he ran further up the stairs. He pulled back the charging handle spun around to meet the savage only a few feet behind him. He opened fire with the automatic rifle and sprayed the chest of the savage, the recoil lifted the barrel to the savage’s head where a 5.56 caliber round exploded through its skull.

  Xavier got up and walked back down to the lobby, he looked out the window and spotted his pistol on the ground where the savage had first attacked him. There were several savages in the area now, Xavier wrote the pistol off and continued up the stairs to the top floor. It was a long climb and Xavier was fatigued and unfit for another surprise. When he reached the top of the 62-story tower, he hurried to clear the floor but there was no one there. He sat down to catch his breath, he was extremely fatigued and thirsty. He drank from his limited supply of water and gathered himself. He needed to bunker down for the rest of the day, for the night would either bring his death, or Lisa's rescue.

  Chapter 12

  Connection

  “I can't believe Xavier went back into the city, we barely made it out as a group.” Jamal said with frustration.

  “He has a hero complex, has to save somebody. It’s going to get him killed.” Heather said softly.

  “But he was a soldier, he should know some commando stuff, right?”

  “I don't know what he did in the service, but that Rambo shit is a fantasy, that's the Chinese military back there.”

  “He’ll find a way to save Lisa, I choose to believe that he knows what he’s doing, he’s a good man.” said Regina.

  “Not smart though” Heather said under her breath.

  “What makes you say that?” Regina asked.

  Heather glanced at Charles and shook her head, “Nothing, doesn't matter.”

  Jamal got lost in his own thoughts as he marched down the residential street. He thought about his mother and what they would do when he got home to her, how they would survive. His mother was only about 42 years old, but she was heavy set, he knew they wouldn't be able to run away if they needed to. He was worried he couldn't protect her, he was worried she was already dead.

  Lost in himself, he nearly missed the sound of a helicopter in the distance, he looked up, confused as to whether he should be happy or worried. The rest of the group were too engaged in conversation to notice, he shushed them.

  “You guys hear that” he said.

  “Hear what?” Jacob said as he lifted his gaze to the sky.

  “It's a helicopter, not a moment too soon” Sheila said as she frantically searched the sky.

  “Are they going to save us?” Charles asked.

  “Maybe,” Regina said, “I don't know.”

  As the noise grew closer, Heather was able to finally see the helicopter in the sky.

  “There it is” she said.

  Sheila took to the middle of the road and began waving her arms to draw the pilot's attention, but they were still too far to be seen. Heather felt uneasy about the lone helicopter, and finally understood why when she noticed the direction of travel, it was coming from the coast, it was Chinese.

  “We need to get off the street, now.” Heather said.

  “Are you crazy? Why?” Sheila shrieked.

&n
bsp; “Look at where it's coming from, did you see any American Helicopters back that way.”

  “Shit”

  Jacob took off running toward a grey house on the right side of the street it was an older two-story house with a large attached garage. He ran to the front door and kicked it in, it whipped open and bounced back at him as he forced his way in. When Jacob saw the house was clear he signaled for everyone to follow him in.

  The helicopter flew by at a higher altitude than expected for search purposes, they watched it from the window as it passed by.

  “I don't even know what I'm looking for.” Sheila scoffed.

  “We’re probably better off not attracting attention from anyone until we get to where we're going.” Heather said.

  “Did you guys hear that?” Regina said as she peeked out the window.

  There was a noise from down the street in the direction from which they came. Objects were being knocked over or destroyed, the closer it got, the more violent it sounded.

  They stood still where they were in the house, as if moving even a limb would give away their location. They had become complacent in the quiet neighborhood outside of the war zone that was once Seattle.

  “You think it's the Chinese?” Sheila asked.

  “Or a mob” Heather whispered.

  “Well we should get a better look, we’re wasting time staying here, I need to get home.”

  “Sheila no.”

  Sheila walked over to the front door, peeked out onto the street, then out onto the front lawn. They watched her from the window, she leaned forward and squinted her eyes, then her eyes widened, and she made a quick motion for the door before collapsing. Jamal and Jacob ran outside to check on her, she was soaked in sweat and her heartbeat was visible through her shirt. Jamal looked away from Sheila and down the street to determine what startled her, it was a mob of savages.

  The savages had spotted the three on the lawn and began sprinting toward them.

  “Come on, get her legs, we gotta go” Jacob said with haste as he reached under her armpits to lift her.