Waterfall

by Amber Garr

  I found myself jumping over rebar and climbing through rooms that had once held so much hope. At one point I nearly missed a hole in the floor that dropped one story below into the basement. I thought I saw several limbs lying still down there, but I tried to wipe the image out of my mind as we skirted through the church and reached the metal door on the back of the building that led outside.

  And that’s where we found Jackson again. Motionless and in shock, his eyes trying to comprehend the sight in front of us. After all of his searching, and all of his travels, it would all end here.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered to myself, tears flowing freely from my eyes. Between the church ruins and the city buildings behind it, sat a large mound covered in at least a hundred wooden crosses.

  Seeing all of those graves instantly made me think of my family. Somewhere in the massive burial ground lay Jackson’s little sister. And most likely, somewhere in Boston, in a city that had practically been wiped off the map, lay my sister. I hated that we’d left her there. That she never got to say goodbye to my parents. At this point, I had a hard time hoping for the best and as my stomach turned, I tried to think of something else.

  Lights. Truck lights in the distance. Several blocks away, but enough of a distraction that I was able to stop the bile from conquering my emotions.

  “Jackson?” Vee asked a little too loud. “Where are you going?”

  I turned in time to see her scramble after Jackson who was clawing his way to the top of the dirt mound. Rocks and soil slid down the sides, making more noise than I wanted to hear. Vee kept calling after him, finding a pattern with her foot holds and quickly gaining ground. But he didn’t stop. Not until he reached the grave he was looking for.

  I turned to the nearest wooden tombstone and observed it for the first time. The wood was actually splintered pieces of door moldings, hastily nailed together and wrapped with torn clothing at the center. Someone had singed the names into the wood— a first initial followed by a last name. No birth dates. No death dates. Just a simple acknowledgement that these people lived here for a particular amount of time in their life.

  As I glanced around, I began to notice that some of the wooden crosses had objects hanging from them. A set of rosary beads, a key chain in the shape of a heart, or a dead bouquet of wildflowers. A sign that someone had cared and someone wanted to world to know that their loved one, friend or family, was more than just a name.

  “Jackson?” Vee’s hushed and strangled voice drew my attention back up to the top of the mound. She quietly crawled toward our new friend, reaching out to his shaking shoulders. Jackson held something in his hand, the crossbow now lying carelessly on the mound beside him.

  “I’m so sorry,” Vee continued. She smoothed her hand over his back, comforting someone who probably couldn’t be comforted right now. Vee looked at me, our eyes meeting. I saw her tears. I felt Jackson’s pain. We’d all had to face this kind of loss in our world today.

  Suddenly, Jackson stood and let out a gut-wrenching scream so loud, I swear the ground trembled beneath him. Still holding the object in his hand, he cursed at the sky seconds before collapsing to his knees again. Vee glanced at me, worry in her eyes. I didn’t know what to say, what to do. But the second I saw the spotlight fixate on the two of them, I shouted.

  “Run!”

  Another light from a different direction honed in on its target, even as Jackson and Vee slid down the dirt mound faster than the rocks rolling beside them. I readied my gun, searching for soldiers in the dark corners of the broken church. Shouts in the distance told me they were getting closer, but no one appeared to be near enough to shoot us dead. Yet.

  “Hurry!” I screamed again, feeling like every step of theirs was happening in slow motion. A third spotlight lit up the sky, searching for others like us. I ducked when it scanned the air near me, holding my breath as though that would help make me invisible. When it passed over my head, I sighed in relief and then motioned for the others to speed it up.

  Jackson reached me first, his face twisted in grief and his right hand gripping something shiny. “What is that?” I asked. Vee joined us a moment later, breathing heavy and pulling her hair back into a tighter ponytail.

  “My sister’s pointe shoes,” he said.

  “Her what?” I asked.

  “Dance shoes, Zach,” Vee said in exasperation. “Come on. We have to move.”

  Like the thought had never crossed our minds, Vee sprinted away from us, climbing back through the church to get to solid ground. Jackson and I followed in silence. Or as silent as we could be when running for our lives. My foot caught on the loose rubble and Jackson’s crossbow clanged on every scrap of metal it came into contact with. We weren’t really that stealthy, but it didn’t matter. The soldiers had already spotted us.

  When we finally made it to the street, Jackson jumped in front of us. “Follow me,” he said, the confidence weaving its way into his voice again.

  Instead of turning back down the alley, we continued to run straight down the middle of the road. I turned to look behind us, half expecting the soldiers to be right on our trail. But the street remained silent, the spotlights still searching on the burial mound and destroyed church.

  Three blocks later, Jackson slowed and guided us toward an old movie theater. The entryway provided a natural cover from the street where we could take a moment to regroup.

  “Holy shit,” Vee breathed. “That was close.”

  I smiled at her the same time Jackson made a small noise. “We should be close to that sporting goods store,” he said.

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Vee asked. “I mean, we’re kind of being chased.”

  “We can’t go back empty handed,” I argued.

  “And what about Max?” she snapped.

  “What about him? We can still make this trip worthwhile and then maybe he won’t be so mad at us for not listening.” I bent my knees and crouched to the ground, needing a minute to slow my heart.

  Vee glared at me. I could feel it even though I wasn’t looking at her. Jackson leaned against the outdoor ticket booth, adjusting his bag so that he could put his sister’s memories inside. “So I guess it’s settled then?” he teased.

  “Yes,” Vee said at the same time I said, “No.”

  “Vee, we need to find some supplies. Max is looking for medicine but we need more weapons, clothes, bottles…you name it.” She knew I was right and by the way she shook her head and stomped away, I’d won this particular battle.

  “Now it’s settled,” I grumbled to Jackson.

  As Vee glanced up and down the street, pretending to be on the lookout instead of pouting at her defeat, Jackson and I came up with a plan. A simple smash and grab. According to the map, the sporting goods store was just around the corner. All we had to do was stay hidden.

  But in the typical way our lives worked out, that didn’t exactly happen. Just as we were about to turn down the next street, a small group of soldiers stepped onto the road ahead of us. Their laughs echoed through the otherwise quiet night. With guns hanging low by their hips, they seemed more interested in their stories than any kind of actual hunting.

  All the better for us.

  In silence, we nestled against a stairwell leading into a basement apartment. Not offering much of a cover, we did our best to squeeze into the small shadow created by the waning moonlight. With breaths held and legs pressed up against each other, we watched the three men shuffle by. Their voices sounded young, not much older than Vee and me, and something about that made me angry. Why would they decide to join that side of the fight? What did they have to gain? Had they killed innocents too?

  Five minutes later, when all traces of them were gone and no more spotlights could be seen in the distance, we finally emerged from our hiding place. Without saying a word, we hustled to the sporting goods store, happy to see that the two lane street was clear of everyone but us.

  An
d then Jackson smashed his elbow through the store window and fear raced through me like a poison. “Are you crazy?” I shouted through gritted teeth.

  “Do you have a key?” he asked sarcastically while brushing away the broken shards so he could reach inside to unlock the door.

  Vee giggled. “Good one,” she said to a smirking Jackson.

  I mouthed the words back at her like a child, not caring how immature it seemed. Vee shook her head at me and stepped through the door Jackson just opened. For a moment, I debated even going in. Maybe someone should stand watch—

  “Zach, come on!” Vee shouted in a hushed whisper, cutting off my thought. “You’re not going to believe this.”

  I heard the smile in her voice, and when I inched over the broken glass, I smiled too. “Jackpot,” I mumbled.

  The front part of the store had been picked through, but just a few rows back, outdoor gear and other goods filled my head with joy. On the wall to my left, hundreds of water bottles, camelbacks, and camping supplies taunted us. Across the store, where Jackson had ended up, sat a whole corner full of bows, arrows, and a locked glass cabinet with hunting rifles. Vee and I shared a thankful look just before she started trying on some of the warmer coats. How is it possible that this stuff was still here?

  As I pondered the thought and chased away any negative explanations trying to crush my happiness, I began filling my bag with reusable water bottles—the insulated ones. I missed ice and fresh, cold water. So a part of me hoped that this type of container could at least maintain some of its cooler temperatures.

  Vee knocked over a mannequin causing Jackson and me to stop moving. When she giggled at herself, I watched her picked out a few hats while Jackson stocked up on bolts. For a minute, life was almost normal again. Just three people shopping in preparation for a long camping trip. I actually hated camping as a kid. I loved being outdoors, but sleeping on rocks or inclines just wasn’t a favorite pastime of mine. Now I don’t think I could even sleep on a real bed.

  Another crash carried through the store and I figured Vee had just knocked something else over until I heard them. Voices. Several deep commands directing soldiers in an orderly fashion. Since I was closest to the door, I saw them first. Vee and Jackson didn’t notice right away and I couldn’t signal them without giving up our positions.

  Scrambling toward the floor, I grabbed a large flashlight off the shelf and quietly slipped my bag on to my back. The soldiers were in stealth mode—no lights, no radios. I listened to them move quietly over the broken glass until one finally crossed into my sight. With his rifle lifted and ready, he slowly placed each foot one joint at a time. These guys weren’t like the soldiers we’d encountered in the street. No, these soldiers knew what they were doing.

  A noise from the other side of the store where Jackson had been drew their attention. With a flurry of hand signals, the men spread out and headed in that direction. By my best count, I thought there were four or five. Only three of us. I didn’t like those odds.

  I began to crawl closer toward Vee and Jackson. I hadn’t heard them scream or run, so I hoped they knew the trouble we were facing right now. But just as that thought crossed my brain, Jackson yelled out in fury and something slammed into a clothing rack. Three quick shots brought down another person, and my stomach twisted in fear. But a movement to my right distracted my attention. A quick flash of silver and then a sneaker squeaking along the ground. Vee.

  “Zach?” she whispered, her head popping out between several pairs of long pants.

  I pressed my finger to my lips, telling her to be quiet, and then signaled toward the men who had gone after Jackson. I only heard two go down and hadn’t heard anything since. So when someone grabbed my shoulder, I almost screamed like a little girl.

  Jackson, crouched like a lion hunting its prey, pointed toward the front entrance and waved us forward. Vee and I followed his move, staying low and doing our best to use the sporting gear to cover our movement. I wished we could take some more supplies with us, but just getting out of here alive right now was really the main objective.

  I spotted the entrance a couple of rows ahead. There didn’t appear to be another soldier waiting there, so I continued slinking toward our freedom. But just as I reached the broken shards of glass, Vee let out a muffled scream and kicked out hard enough to knock a rack of carabineers to the floor.

  “Shut up!” one of the soldiers yelled. He had his arm wrapped around her neck, his hand gun pointed at her temple. “The rest of you, put your weapons down.”

  At first I didn’t move. Maybe he didn’t see me. But when a shadow shifted across the aisle, I knew I’d been spotted. “That means you,” a gruff voice said.

  Reluctantly, I took off my backpack and set my own gun on the ground. Why I hadn’t used it, I didn’t know. No, that’s not true. I didn’t use it because I didn’t think I could actually kill someone with it.

  “Both of you are coming with us,” the man holding Vee commanded.

  I lifted my hands, more worried about how pissed Max would be than worried about what they would do when we left here. As the second soldier stalked toward me, Vee began fighting again. She must have been more worried about what would happen to us next. Executing a perfect head-butt, she slammed her head back into the guy’s nose. He swore and dropped his grip at the same time I swung out my leg and kicked the approaching soldier in the gut. The guy hunched forward for just a second until lifting his rifle and slowly twisting his aim toward me.

  But before he made it that far, he let out a surprised yelp and fell to the ground. Landing on his stomach, I saw the bolt sticking out of his back, directly behind his heart. I barely had enough time to register what happened before the last remaining soldier held Vee in a tight headlock again.

  “Back the fuck off,” the man growled at Jackson who now stood ten feet away with his crossbow pointed at the man’s head. “I’ll kill her,” he continued.

  “No you won’t,” Jackson said with a deadly lilt.

  “I’ll fucking kill—” The soldier didn’t have a chance to finish before an bolt pierced his forehead.

  Vee screamed. I shouted. And Jackson casually reloaded his weapon. Vee ran over to me, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders, body shaking with adrenaline. Or maybe that was me.

  “Oh my god,” she breathed into my ear. “Oh my god…” Her voice trailed off into a sob. I squeezed her tight while I watched Jackson pull the two used bolts, from the dead bodies. In a very calm and subdued way, he wiped them on his sleeve then stuffed them back into his cargo pants pocket.

  “We need to go,” he said coolly as he stepped over the soldier in front of us.

  “We have to find Max,” Vee whispered to me and I nodded in agreement.

  Yes, we needed to find Max, but we also needed to figure out a way to tell him about what had happened here tonight.

  I ran in stunned silence all of the way back to our hole in the fence where we’d first entered this awful city. What had been an exciting find one second, quickly turned into a bloody reminder that we would never be safe. I hated this life. I really did.

  Despite four soldiers coming after us in the store, no more appeared to be working with them. We made it all of the way from that building to the fence without encountering another lifeless soul. Well, except for the dead bodies of the deserters we saw executed upon our arrival.

  Senseless deaths. All of them. Why did we continue to murder each other? For survival, the logical side of my brain told me. It’s the only thing that matters.

  I cursed that analysis. All our species ever did was kill. Kill and destroy. Destroy and kill. When did we stop enjoying everything?

  “Do you see him?” Zach asked in a hushed voice.

  “No,” I replied. We hadn’t seen Max anywhere in the field yet. But he would be there. I knew it. Nothing could destroy Max.

  Jackson walked behind us, scanning the area for soldiers and most likely mou
rning the loss of his sister. I couldn’t imagine the disappointment he must be feeling right now. He’d traveled a long way to join her, only to find that would never happen again. Just like I’d never see my mom and dad.

  “We need to get to that tree line,” Zach said. Probably since Jackson and I weren’t saying anything at all. Zach really did hate silence.

  I simply nodded while Jackson continued to act as protector. I noticed that he’d grabbed two rifles from the store that were now draped over his back. Would he share?

  My thoughts were cut off by a sharp whistle. We’d just started ascending the hill when we heard two short sounds in a row. A signal. I pursed my lips to return the call, but Zach beat me to it. In all fairness, he could whistle much better than I could anyway.

  “That’s got to be Max,” Zach said and began jogging up the rest of the small hill.

  We were only fifty feet from the trees when a deep voice spoke in the darkness, the location of the man unknown. “Who are you?” The sound carried through the night like a ghost—its tendrils dancing around us in warning.

  “Max?” Zach asked. He lifted his gun and without conscious thought, I realized my gun was already aimed too.

  “Who is that?” Max asked. He remained hidden in the shadows.

  “Max, come on. It’s us.” Zach turned in a slow circle, still unable to pinpoint our leader’s location. “Where are you?”

  “Who is that?” he asked again, only this time his voice dropped an octave in warning.

  “It’s Jackson,” I said. “And he saved my life.”

  The sound of shoes crunching against dead grass forced us both to turn around. Max emerged from his cover, completely fooling us with his direction. “And what is Jackson doing here?” Max asked, eyeing up Jackson in a way that made even me nervous.

  “He doesn’t have anybody—”

  “I want to hear it from him,” Max snapped. Zach hung his head.

  Jackson cleared his throat and lowered his crossbow a few inches. “I found them in the streets.” Zach huffed at the insinuation that Jackson had rescued us in some way. “I’m alone.”