by Kip Nelson
“Why would anyone abandon these packs?” Luis wondered aloud, and was instantly met with motions to hush.
Mack crept forward while the others held their weapons ready in case it was a trap. He moved slowly and carefully, reached out a hand, and as soon as his fingers had curled around the strap he yanked the pack toward him. Nothing happened. He turned to look at the others as he opened the pack to find a few supplies, a map of the area, but nothing else. After going through the first one, they spread out and searched through the others, but nothing had been stolen. It seemed as though the packs had been thrown down and left there, but that made no sense.
“Wait, look over there,” Grace said, and held out her arm, fingertip shaking.
The others followed her gaze, and when they saw what she saw, their throats dried and a chill ran down their spines. In among the leaves, were four dead bodies, three of them face down in the dirt. Mack walked up to them, trying not to breathe in the necrotic stench. From the looks of it, they had not been dead long, but the flesh already was beginning to turn gray and the blood had dried. It had stained their clothes and the ground around the corpses. When Mack turned over the face-down bodies he saw the looks of horror permanently etched on their faces, and after a quick inspection it was clear they had been mauled by a wild animal.
So far, Mack and the others had been fortunate not to run into any dangerous wildlife, at least none they couldn't handle. However, this was a stark reminder that danger lurked everywhere. It was also strange to see other people, too. Spending so much time walking through the world alone had made Mack and the others feel isolated, when really there were other people just like them wandering the same terrain. He spared a thought for these people who would have no tombstones marking their presence, and nobody to remember who they were.
“This feels wrong,” Grace said as they took the supplies left in the abandoned packs.
“They can't use it anymore. Better it goes to us than just left here,” Saul said.
He was right, but that didn't make it any easier for them to stomach. After there was nothing left they continued through the forest, each with heavy hearts as they knew those people easily could have been themselves. They also knew there was a deadly animal nearby, and by the size of the gash marks left on the bodies, the beast was huge.
“Stay close, and keep watch for anything,” Mack said. The four of them moved forward with trepidation, wondering if anything had them in its sights.
Luis couldn't help but think of the fox he had killed the previous night, the gleam in his eye when he realized he had it cornered, and asked himself if he now was the fox to another predator. The forest suddenly seemed more foreboding than usual. Every noise was a portent of doom, and the way the drops of sun filtered through the trees seemed like a false promise of heaven. It was all too easy to think they were in paradise, but there was a devil close by, of that Mack was sure.
All of a sudden, the air seemed still and everything seemed too quiet. The four of them looked at each other, then out into the woodland expanse that lay before them, but there were no signs of anything.
“Surely a creature big enough to leave those claw marks would be making some noise,” Luis said, but his comment was met without reply.
It was clear from the trembling in his voice that he was nervous but, really, they all were. None of them expected to die. They were on their way to the city. That was their plan. But then again, the dead bodies they had come across probably had had a plan, too, and whatever killed them didn't care one bit about it. Mack was at the front, as always, and although he had been through survival training, and his instincts were sharper than anyone's, he did not react quickly enough to what came barreling toward them.
With a mighty roar that emerged from its belly, a huge bear appeared from nowhere and flew toward them, as quick and unstoppable as a juggernaut. Its fur was as dark as the night and its beady eyes gleamed with a violent hunger. Its paws crashed into the ground with heavy thuds and made loud quaking noises. Spittle flew from its mouth and its sharp teeth were bared as was its pink tongue; a burst of color set against the malevolent darkness. The force of nature moved forward, pushing aside branches of trees, which snapped and acquiesced to the bear’s dominance.
Before they knew it, the four of them felt the brunt of its attack. It rammed into them, bowing its head as it butted them away, the momentous force of its body sending them flying like skittles. Saul was flung backward and hit his head on a rock, immediately knocking him unconscious. Grace and Luis spun back and collapsed on the ground, every part of them aching. Mack had lost his balance and fell backwards as he evaded its deadly claws. He was left vulnerable, lying on the other side of the bear.
The weapons had been knocked from their hands. Mack quickly pushed himself off the ground and tried looking for the others, but it was impossible to focus on anything other than the great beast in front of him, which now reared back on its hind legs and roared again. Mack's head tilted back as he looked up at the behemoth in front of him and his heart was filled with fear. Quickly, he glanced down and saw his gun was resting on the ground, but it was too far away.
A paw came down upon him. He had not expected such a big bear to be so swift. The shock and awe of the pain sent him crumpling to the ground, and he cried out in anguish as the bear's claws tore through his clothes into the flesh below. He twisted around and tried escaping the bear's reach, struggling to keep away from the animal's claws and teeth. The bear swiped at him again, and he just was able to jump back, but in doing so he lost his footing and fell on his back. The bear leaned down and Mack punched and used all his strength to keep the bear’s hungry jaws away from him. The bear was so close he could smell its hot breath. This bear already had tasted blood and it was hungry for more. The pain in his shoulder was almost unbearable and Mack could feel the blood seeping into his clothes. The pressure the bear was exerting on him was almost too much for him to take, but he had to hold on. He had to, because if the bear was attacking him, it meant the others were free...
Grace and Luis had had the wind knocked out of them when the bear had tossed them aside. They were groggy and staggered back to their feet when they saw it attack Mack. Grace screamed as she heard his painful cry. The two young people were in shock. Then, the bear was upon Mack, and they knew they had to do something. They glanced over and saw Saul, bleeding from his head, and the weapons strewn on the ground. Time seemed to stand still for them both, but they only had a matter of seconds. If they did nothing, then Mack would be dead and, in all likelihood, they soon would follow. It would have taken many slashes and jabs with knives and spears to kill the bear, and before they could do so most likely would have struck back.
So they knew the only thing that would help them was a gun. Grace and Luis both scrambled forward, hoping to get there in time and let the bullet fly into the bear's hide before it could tear Mack limb from limb. From their vantage point Grace and Luis could see Mack still struggling to keep the bear off him, but from the look on his face it didn't seem as though he had much more strength left in him. Grace was able to reach the gun first. She had a desperate look on her face as her hands clamped around the handle. She was about to raise it when--BANG!
A shot rang out. Grace and Luis looked at one another, puzzled. Grace then looked toward the gun she was holding, sure she hadn't fired it. Mack saw the light in the bear's eyes go dead as it fell off him, crashing to the ground. Still in great pain, he pushed himself up on his elbow, while Grace and Luis stood still. They all looked up to see another group standing before them. There was a woman standing in front of two men, holding a smoking gun in her hands. And now it was pointed at Mack.
Chapter Three
Mack's eyes were bleary with pain and exhaustion. He propped himself up on his good elbow. His left shoulder was throbbing, and sweat prickled on his brow after his efforts to fight the bear. His heart only just had returned to its normal rhythm, although now that he was staring at the barrel
of a gun it started beating more quickly again. Just after the bear had fallen he had managed to glance around quickly at the others. Saul was laying on the ground and it was impossible to tell his condition, while Grace and Luis were frozen, Grace still with the gun in her hands, ready to fire. The bear’s death had been as much of a surprise as its initial attack, and after the violent flurry of noise all around them, the forest was unnervingly quiet.
Mack was aware of his own breathing as he stared at the new people in front of him. Like his own group, they looked as though they had been through a lot. The leader, the woman, looked to be about five foot seven. Her hair came down to her shoulders and was a dirty blonde color. She had a lean figure and wore a shirt that was open at the collar with a top underneath. On her legs were combat trousers with a belt slung around her waist, where the gun usually rested. She wore a baseball cap, too, but from the looks of it Mack surmised she had picked it up from somewhere else, as it looked out of place with the rest of her outfit. Her hands were steady and her eyes did not waver, and in that moment Mack knew she meant business. Her lips were pressed tightly together and her feet were far apart. Mack assumed she would appear just as confident whether she was flanked by her companions or not.
The two men were not holding weapons, and they stood slightly behind the woman. The man on the right was tall and thin, some would say lanky. His hair was growing out and curling at the sides, and Mack got the impression he was the kind of man who would be bothered by this, guessing he liked to keep things neat and tidy. Black-rimmed glasses rested atop his nose and there was a piece of tape around the middle of the frame, indicating they had been repaired recently. He shifted his weight between his feet and didn't seem as confident as the woman. His eyes darted back and forth between her and the others, and his hands dangled awkwardly by his side. He, too, wore a shirt with rolled-up sleeves, stained with sweat and dirt, and just like Mack's own group, they all had packs slung over their shoulders.
The second man was black, and stood at a height that was in between the other two. He had short, curled black hair that was peppered with gray and the beginnings of a beard that shared the same shade. The most surprising thing to Mack was that he wore all black apart from a white collar, indicating that he was a preacher. Mack couldn't help but wonder if the preacher was there to deliver him his last rites.
Beside him the bear lay still, just like the bodies that the group had come across earlier. Mack wondered if their bodies were to join them. And yet, he also thought there would have been no point in saving him from the bear, only to kill him moments later. Hard times sometimes brought out the worst in people, there was no denying that, but they also tended to bring out the best as well.
“Lower that gun,” the woman said in a commanding tone. The words were directed at Grace but her eyes never left Mack.
Mack turned to look at Grace, who was looking toward him, and he nodded, indicating she should do as the woman said. Luis slowly shifted closer to Grace, as though closing the distance between them would offer some sort of protection. Mack expected the woman to speak again, to give them her demands. At worst, they would leave them for dead, but perhaps they were just raiders and would loot them for their supplies and weapons. It wasn't ideal, but at least they would be left alive. If that was the case, then Mack would have to try convincing them otherwise.
He looked past the woman at her companions to try scrutinizing them. The preacher was stoic and it was difficult to discern anything from him, but Mack found it hard to believe he would sanction the murder of innocent people. Then again, it was difficult to know what anyone would do when the world had changed so dramatically, or how far somebody would go to justify their actions to themselves. The other man, however, evidently was uncomfortable with the way things were proceeding. He kept looking away from the woman and didn't seem to know what to do with his hands. If Mack had to guess, he thought that these people were not cold-hearted and merely were posturing. Still, when somebody had a gun pointed at you, it was best not to try guessing.
“Thank you for that,” Mack said, nodding toward the bear.
“Stay where you are,” the woman said.
Mack moved so he was sitting up and touched his hand to his wound, wincing as he felt the sharp pain spike through him. When he brought his finger back it was covered in blood.
“I could use a little help,” Mack added, moving his gaze from the woman to the man by her side. The man chewed his lip and after a few moments he cursed to himself, then ran forward to inspect the wound. The woman rolled her eyes.
“Freddie!” she called out, but Freddie already was down on his knees by Mack's side.
“It's okay, I have some training,” he said.
“Then it's my lucky day,” Mack replied dryly, “I'm Mack, by the way, and you're Freddie?”
The man nodded. “And that there's Maggie, and the preacher is Hank.”
“God, just give them everything, why don't you? I guess there's no point in this anymore,” Maggie said, scowling, as she put her gun away and walked forward, paying more attention to the bear than Mack.
“That was a good shot,” Mack said admiringly.
“I've had some practice,” she replied.
“This is a nasty wound,” Freddie said with concern in his voice. He lay his pack on the ground and rummaged around for some water, then cleaned out the gash.
“I'm going to have to cauterize it,” he added, grimacing.
“You don't sound too happy about that,” Mack said.
“It's not like we have any equipment that makes it easy,” Freddie shot back.
“We don't have time for this,” Maggie said, standing with her hands on her hips.
“I'm not going to leave him like this. Saving him from that bear isn't going to do a damn bit of good if this wound gets infected. We need to build a fire, and get some rocks. I need small ones that can fit in my hands, and move fast!” he said. Mack was surprised to see him speak with such authority, and equally surprised to see Maggie walk away and obey his orders.
“She seems fierce. I'm glad you're the one treating my wound,” Mack said.
“She's okay,” Freddie said as he continued cleaning it out, “I think she's just become so used to being tough, she's forgotten how to be anything else.”
“I know that feeling,” Mack said.
Meanwhile, the preacher had bypassed Mack and approached Grace and Luis. “I'm Hank,” he said with a warm smile, and held out his hand. Grace and Luis introduced themselves, although they were still unsure about these new people.
“We'd better go check on your friend.” The three of them went over to Saul and crouched down. Hank felt his neck and was glad to inform the others there was a pulse. “Guess that bear came out of nowhere,” he said.
“Yeah, kinda like you.”
“We heard the screams and thought someone was in trouble. We've come across our share of animals, but nothing like that. It was a terrifying sight,” Hank said as he cradled Saul's neck, then lifted water out of his pack and poured it on Saul's mouth. After a few moments, Saul sputtered and coughed, then wearily opened his eyes. Upon seeing Hank, he reared his head back.
“It's okay, Saul, they're here to help us,” Grace said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“I will be,” Saul said, wincing as he put his hand to his head, and tried shaking off the pain. He looked down at the rock and cursed at it and then, after noticing the man who had tended to him was a preacher, apologized.
“It's fine,” Hank said with an amused smile.
“I've become used to that after being around Maggie.”
Then he held out a hand and helped Saul up. They walked over to Freddie and Mack and made more introductions. In the background, Maggie returned with some wood and rocks.
“Will these do?” she asked, presenting them to Freddie.
He nodded and told her to make a fire and heat the rocks, and he also made the introductions, although she di
dn't seem too bothered about knowing names. Mack and Freddie shared a knowing smile, and it seemed as though the doctor and patient already had bonded. The others helped Maggie set up the fire and it wasn't long before it was burning. She placed the stones near the fire and Mack watched them with trepidation.
“I think I know what you're going to do, doc, and I don't like the idea,” he said.
“First of all,” Freddie said, “I'm not a doctor, I'm a counselor. I just happen to have some medical training, and trust me, the alternative is much worse.”
He walked over to the fire and tested the rocks, then drew back his hand sharply, gasping. He pulled a top out of his pack and wrapped it around his hand. “Okay, this going to--”
“--hurt,” Mack finished, “I get it, just do it,” he said, and closed his eyes as he braced himself for the pain.
Freddie picked up the rock and pressed it hard against Mack's skin, burning the skin so it would cauterize and prevent any infection from getting into his system. But if Mack thought the initial attack from the bear was painful this took him by complete surprise. The agony shot through his mind as he cried out in pain, beating his fists and feet against the ground, trying to process it as best he could. Freddie held the stone against him tightly, not enjoying causing anyone this much pain even though it was for Mack's own good.
The others turned their faces away, not enjoying the smell of burning flesh, until Freddie took the stone and tossed it away. Mack breathed with relief and looked down at the wound. The skin now was charred and slightly smoking. He reached up a hand and patted Freddie on the shoulder, then took time to rest before he decided to speak.
“I think it's time for some food now that we've got the fire going. You three should join us,” Mack said as he slowly made his way over to the fire.