Savage Mist

by Jason Merchant

  Xavier was only a few months from either re-enlisting or being discharged from the Army, it was an easy choice for him. He began drinking heavily and smoking, his last few months in the service would be tainted by late arrivals to morning formations and failed physical fitness tests. He was awarded an army commendation medal for his actions during the ambush, it only buried him in additional guilt. He was praised as heroic as he lived his last days of service hiding his cowardice.

  After being discharged, Xavier found himself drinking even more, he couldn't drink enough to drown the pain. He drained his savings account and eventually got himself evicted from his apartment. His parents passed before he joined the service and he had no siblings, he had no one to turn to.

  Xavier eventually ran into another veteran who pointed him toward an organization that helped homeless veterans, he was able to get professional help for his depression and alcoholism. He was lucky enough not to have made any legal mistakes which made it easier to find a job and get back on his feet. After a few years when he felt focused and healthy, he used the college benefits he gained from the service to attend nursing school. Xavier had made a remarkable recovery, but he still isolated himself from others.

  Lisa listened intently to Xavier as he told his story and bared his soul for the first time with anyone other than his therapist. He made more sense to her now, his actions didn't seem so random.

  “Xavier, you are obviously a good person at heart, you're a hero.”

  “I’m not a hero. I never told anyone that I froze on the battlefield. Those infantry soldiers praised me for saving lives, but I failed when they really needed me.”

  “They praised you for the lives you did save. You’ve been beating yourself up all these years over the one guy you couldn't save. What was the name of the guy who died?”

  “Staff Sergeant Timothy Wayne. He had a little girl, her name was Tonya. His wife of 7 years. . . her name was Stacy.”

  “What were the names of the men you saved?”

  Xavier searched his brain but came up with nothing. He stopped in the middle of the street and lowered his rifle, he looked at Lisa with tears in his eyes.

  “I... I don't remember them. How the hell could I forget them?”

  “I bet they never forgot you, Xavier. You are a hero at heart, everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone is a hero. You have to forgive yourself or you will be alone forever. You're too cute to be this lonely.”

  They walked for miles without seeing anyone until they finally made it to Auburn. It was about 2 in the morning and cold, they were tired and hungry, but glad to see other people. They walked past a convenience store that looked like it had been looted, the glass doors were broken and some of the stores contents were scattered in the street. Xavier stopped to take a better look at his surroundings.

  “I don't think we’re as safe as we’d like to believe.”

  “I’m getting the same feeling. People are animals.”

  “People are scared, come on, let's see if we can find a bottle of water or something in here.”

  “Well I guess we’re looters too now.” Lisa said as she followed Xavier into the store.

  The store was almost completely empty of food, Xavier did manage to find one bottle of water under an overturned shelf, and a smashed loaf of bread.

  After a brief sustenance break in the store, they continued south and began a renewed search for a vehicle. There was an old pickup truck in the parking lot of a looted grocery store, the keys were still in the ignition. Xavier got in and turned the key, just as the engine turned over, shots were fired at the truck, shattering the passenger and rear windows. Xavier dived out of the driver seat, Lisa met him on the ground.

  The gunfire stopped but the shooters footsteps could be heard approaching the truck.

  “It's about to happen again.” Xavier said as his breathing quickened, and he began to perspire.

  “Oh no, don't pass out on me now, not now Xavier.”

  Xavier did not pass out, instead he felt the strength and agility he had in the tunnel.

  He sat up quickly, as if he was just struck with a second wind.

  “Shoot back girl! Why you looking at me?”

  Lisa looked over the hood of the truck just as the shooter appear from around the front. Xavier sprung upward so fast the man never had a chance to pull the trigger. He grabbed the shotgun by the barrel and ripped it away from the man, throwing it on the ground near Lisa. The man looked frightened but decided to take a swing at Xavier anyway. Xavier didn't even make an attempt to evade the strike, the punch connected cleanly with the side of his face. Unfazed, Xavier threw a right hook that lifted the man off his feet and back to the asphalt unconscious. To Lisa's surprise, Xavier started toward the unconscious man to continue the beating. He reached down and picked the man up by the shirt and lifted him over his head.

  “Xavier stop! Stop!” Lisa yelled. “Please don't do it, it's over, just put him down. . .please.”

  Xavier put the man down gently on the ground and stood back as Lisa checked the man for life, he was still breathing. Still breathing heavily and perspiring, Xavier looked at his hands as his concern grew over his affliction. It had seemed the infection not only affected his body, but his mind as well. He turned his focus back to Lisa when a voice spoke from behind him.

  “Is he dead?”

  Xavier turned around to see a woman standing strategically on the opposite side of the truck with a small child in her arms. She was frightened and concerned for the man Xavier had just beaten. She was a small Latina woman with long black hair, a green coat and jeans. She held a small boy, no older than a year.

  Xavier turned back to the man on the ground, he wasn't very large himself, maybe 170 pounds. He was also Latino. Xavier and Lisa stood back and allowed the woman to approach the man.

  “He’s alive, he’s unconscious though.” Lisa said softly.

  “He was just trying to get food for us, you nearly killed him.”

  “Ma’am he shot at us first.”

  “You were stealing our truck”

  Lisa didn't respond, she just looked up at Xavier who was still in a potentially maniacal state. He didn’t have words for the woman, he just stared at her husband.

  “We’ll stay with you and make sure you’re safe if you want us too, we have-” Lisa said as she was cut off.

  “No, just leave.”

  Lisa grabbed Xavier by the arm and led him away, they continued down south.

  Sheila was awakened several hours into her slumber by pains in her chest. The nausea had returned, as did the sweat and tachycardia. She sat up at the edge of the bed and clutched her chest, she waited for the attack to subside, hoping it was anxiety and not cardiac related. Shanice had given them Jamal's brothers room for the night, Sheila appreciated the privacy granted to her and her husband. Richard woke up and noticed Sheila was no longer by his side.

  “What's wrong?” he said.

  “I um, I’ve been having these spells lately that usually lead to me passing out but, this time is different.”

  “What do you mean spells? Like, anxiety attacks?”

  “No, they're different, I usually end up passed out and having a ridiculously lucid dream. When I wake up, I look like I do now, drenched in sweat and nauseous.”

  “Well are you alright, you want me to get you some water or anything?”

  “No, I’m starting to feel better actually, I just need some fresh air.”

  Sheila put on her jacket, walked out the front door and stood on the porch. The dark street was only lit by the moonlight that peeked through an opening in the increasing cloud cover. The air was cold and crisp, she could see her breath escape her lips with each exhale. Sheila knew it was cold out but began to realize she wasn't shivering or even slightly uncomfortable, she felt almost numb. She began to feel energetic and the feeling of anxiety morphed into a feeling of power. Her heart still raced as did her breathing, but the nausea had faded.

  Regi
na came out to join Sheila on the front porch, she had an entire comforter wrapped around her.

  “You alright?” Regina asked.

  “I don't know, I’m feeling like I did when I passed out those other times, but different. I feel all strong and... ready” she laughed.

  “Ready for what?” Regina asked as she took a step back and smiled.

  “To beat the crap out of someone I guess.” They both laughed.

  “You know, me and Richard weren't doing so well before this, I know he looked happy to see me but... will we go back to the same old crap when this is all over? Has anything changed?”

  Regina looked out into the sky and pulled the blanket around her tight. “I think if you guys have been together this long and been through this much, it’s worth just enjoying. It's worth being optimistic.”

  “I just don't want to be lonely and hurt again when we go home… if we go home.”

  “Don't move” a hooded man said from behind them.

  “Don't you fucking move or say a word, or I’ll kill both of you. Drop the blanket, let me see your fucking hands. Now bitch.”

  Regina dropped the blanket and put her hands up.

  “What do you want?” Sheila demanded.

  “You're gonna take me into your house and let me figure that out for myself. Go.” He gestured toward the door with his revolver.

  He was a large white man with a raspy voice, maybe 250 pounds, he was dressed in all black and looked as though this wasn't his first time committing a crime. He moved toward the ladies with the gun and pointed to the door. “Now” he said.

  Regina opened the door and went into the house, Sheila had plans all her own. After days of surviving the most unimaginable series of events, Sheila decided there was no way a mere petty criminal was going to do them in.

  Sheila turned around at the doors threshold and punched the man in the face. Her plan was to catch him off guard and go for his gun, but Sheila’s punch sent the man airborne and down the porch steps. The gun went off just as his feet left the ground, she pursued the man down the steps and relieved him of his revolver. He laid there groaning in pain, blood covered his face, his nose was broken, and several teeth were gone.

  The shot had awaked everyone in the house and they all ran to the front door. Sheila stood over the man triumphant, but confused, she had just knocked out a man twice her size with one blow.

  “Oh my god” said Regina, “Sheila you're bleeding, you’ve been shot.”

  Sheila looked down to her torso and noticed the bleeding wound, she felt no pain. In a state of shock, she stood still alternating her gaze between her wound and the man on the ground. Heather broke the silence and stepped outside, she grabbed Sheila by the uninjured arm and directed her into the house for first aid. No sooner than she agreed, an explosion lit up the backdrop behind Sheila.

  Multiple Jets could be heard in the distance and more explosions illuminated the sky to the west. The group stared in horror at the orange and yellow sky, it spanned nearly the entire horizon. The explosions and sounds of fighter jets grew closer, Jamal opened the closet door and began removing the weapons. “We have to go.”

  Still in awe over the surprise bombing run, the group hadn't noticed the street had filled with occupants of the neighboring homes, to Shanice’s surprise, more people had stayed behind than she initially thought. It wouldn't be for long, people had already started scrambling back into their houses.

  “Momma, we gotta go” Jamal said calmly.

  “Where we going? And what you think you gon’ do with all them guns?”

  “Momma please, you have trust us, we’ve been surviving this long somehow, we made it out of Seattle by fighting and running. We’ve already ran into the Chinese, they're dangerous. Please momma, we have to.”

  Everything in Shanice wanted to reject Jamal's proposal, but the reality and severity of the situation settle quickly when she began to hear tires of fleeing residents screeching outside of the house.

  “Okay, okay let me pack the water and some food, go get me a bag.”

  The group was just about ready to leave the house when Sheila dropped to one knee and let out a loud cry. The effects of the infection had begun to wear off, her immunity to pain was fading. Jacob put her arm around his shoulder and hurried her to the van.

  “Now wait a minute, she needs help.” Richard protested.

  Heather stopped at the door as she was leaving for the van. “Where do you think she’ll be going to get that help? We can't do much for her here, those jets are getting closer and I can't for the life of me figure out what they're bombing besides people. We don't have the luxury of time.”

  Xavier and Lisa walked for hours before coming upon the freeway, it was filled with vehicles, bumper to bumper. They walked up the on-ramp and followed the freeway south. There were no horns blowing obnoxiously for no reason as it would in the movies, people just sat in their cars or outside of them on the hoods. Most people were standing outside of their vehicles, traffic had been stalled for hours.

  They knew now that finding a vehicle was feckless, they were better off on foot. They stayed along the shoulder lane and continued south, it would be about a 6 hour walk to the Army base.

  Xavier and Lisa walked for about another hour before finally reaching Federal Way.

  “Jamal lives out here you know, considering this traffic, they might still be out here.” said Xavier.

  “Do you know where?”

  “No not exactly, it still makes more sense to keep toward the base.”

  “It’s killing me to think we’re so close. I hope my baby is okay, I don't know what I’m going to do if he’s--”

  “He’s not” Xavier interrupted just as Lisa began to cry. “He’s fine, Regina wouldn't let anything happen to him, she’s strong, just like you. He has a whole group looking after him, you just need to have some--”

  An explosion lit up the sky to the west, everyone on the freeway got out of their cars and turned to the massive fireballs in the distance.

  They looked on for what seemed like an hour, though only a few minutes time had passed. Xavier grabbed hold of Lisa's hand, “We have to go, we can't stop.”

  “What about Charles?”

  “We have to trust that the group is sticking to the plan.”

  “But what if they can't? What if something went wrong?”

  “If we go looking, and they make it to the base, we’ll be right in the path of the Chinese. There's no way they didn’t hear those explosions, they're moving. Trust me Lisa, we have to go.”

  They began running south, sticking to the plan to meet the group at the base. Most of the people still stood and watched the ordinance being dropped in the distance, only a few began to panic and abandon their cars. Most didn't know where to run, until explosions were seen over the freeway to the south. They were explosions all too familiar to Lisa and Xavier, the people on the interstate were being infected. A giant mob of savages would now stand between them and their destination.

  The freeway

  Michael had been watching the man and the woman for hours, the man's capabilities were proving to be extraordinary to say the least. If he approached them wrongly, the man could become defensive and violent and force Michael to shoot him. And if he wasn't careful, the man could overpower him and kill him. Michael wasn't even sure yet if the man would even be affected by a gunshot, he’d have to shoot him in the head to stop him. George would not be happy. His best approach would be to capture the woman and hold her at gunpoint. The man would surely become angry, but wouldn't likely do anything to endanger his friend. As long as he kept his gun on the woman, he could hold them both until extraction arrived.

  His plan was the best he could come up with, but it meant nothing if he couldn't execute, the freeway was packed with civilians. He would have to wait until they made it to a more secluded area, at least off the freeway. He still needed to contact George, he hadn't updated him in hours.

  Michael's satellite ph
one rang as he neared a minivan, the ring caught him off guard. The family in the van immediately noticed Michael was the source of the ring, they pulled out their own phones and check for a signal. Michael was more concerned with the man and the woman he was trailing, it seemed they hadn't heard his phone ring.

  He answered the phone, as he hid behind an SUV.

  “George, this better be good, about a dozen civilians are wondering how I just got a damn phone call.”

  “I’m sorry Michael...look, are you still following the targets?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “What's your location?”

  “I-5, Federal Way southbound.”

  “Shit! You have your gas mask on you?”

  “Of course, why?”

  “Can you subdue the target immediately?”

  “If I can get a hold of the woman, maybe.”

  “You need to put on your gas mask and make contact, now. There’s no time to explain. There’s a park a little over a kilometer from your location, take them there and await extraction.”

  “Sir-”

  George hung up the phone. Michael was reaching for his mask when the sky lit up orange to the west, a massive artillery bombardment. Everyone rushed to the guard rails to get a view of the explosions, Michael realized he had lost sight of the man and woman, he began forcing his way through the crowd trying to find them. He would once again be forced to pause his pursuit when the roar of fighter jets caught his attention, he put on his gas mask ad quickly as he could.

  He watched as air bursts munition exploded over the freeway a quarter mile ahead of him, people began running and screaming, making it impossible to find his two targets. More jets arrived and bombed every area with heavy traffic, people fell to ground in the impact areas. Moments later, people began regaining consciousness and attacking anyone who wasn't infected. The freeway turned to a scene of carnage as people were bludgeoned to death, or killed as they were forced off the overpass.