Realm of the Raiders

by Christopher Artinian

  “When I came through the woods, they seemed clear. Hopefully that’s still the case, but by my reckoning, there are a lot of bodies still not accounted for. We need to keep our eyes and ears open.” He looked at Lucy, Jenny and Beth, who nodded, but he was still not able to look Shaw in the eye.

  “Humphrey can smell them,” said Beth as she shouldered a backpack, not wanting to waste any time getting out of the hell she had brought her family to.

  “Well, maybe you can stay with him, give us some advanced warning if those things are near. Me and Barnes will carry Bruiser on the stretcher, but the rest of you just stay alert and be ready for trouble.”

  “Surely it makes more sense for me to be a stretcher bearer,” said Jenny.

  “And me,” said Beth. “I’ve lived on a farm all my life, remember? I was carrying sacks of grain before school books.”

  “Are you sure you’re both up to it?” asked Mike, not meaning to sound sexist, but obviously not succeeding.

  “There’s a fine line between chivalry and being a condescending little prick, sweetheart, and you’re close to losing your balance,” said Jenny, smiling.

  Mike put his hands up apologetically, not wanting to get into an argument about something which he deemed so unimportant. He looked towards Lucy. She had a smirk on her face, clearly enjoying the sight of him being slapped down a little.

  *

  The group moved quietly through the woodland. Mike and Barnes took the lead, with Humphrey happily trotting between them. Lucy, the children and the stretcher were in the middle, while Shaw brought up the rear. Whatever differences he had with Mike, they could be hammered out later. Right now, everything was about survival. They had travelled a quarter of a mile when Jenny said she had to stop for breath.

  They all converged around the stretcher as it was placed on the ground. Mike, Lucy, Barnes and Shaw, all with their weapons at the ready, scanned the landscape for movement.

  After five minutes’ rest they set off again, the same formation as before. No-one spoke; the nervous looks on their faces were enough. Mike and Barnes came to a halt as they noticed Humphrey’s demeanour change. The Labrador cocked his nose high in the air and began sniffing obsessively. His lips rolled back, revealing a frightened snarl as he began to growl.

  Mike glanced around rapidly, looking for somewhere to rest the stretcher. He signalled towards a growth of shrubs. Beth and Jenny quickly moved across to it and placed the stretcher down. Beth gave instructions for Annie and John to stay with Hughes and then joined the outward-looking semicircle formation that they had agreed on should trouble arise. They had made sure all their weapons were fully loaded before beginning the journey. The six of them stood ready. Jenny had been given a brief tutorial by Lucy on how to use her hand gun, but she hadn’t thought she would actually need it. Now, though, she looked nervously at the black metal in her hands as they waited in silence.

  A minute passed, then two, before the silence finally broke. The familiar guttural sound that came from the throats of the undead began to get louder as an unknown number of creatures closed in on them. The group exchanged increasingly nervy glances as the volume rose higher and higher. Mike heard Annie and John begin to sob as Humphrey’s growls turned into urgent barks. The roaming horde of beasts didn’t appear one at a time, but en masse, as they rounded the overgrowth ahead of them. On seeing the tight-knit formation of humans, they stopped their aimless meandering and began to sprint towards them, the sounds from their throats increasing to fever pitch. Their grey skin was punctuated by small puddles of dark red where they themselves had been attacked. As they got closer, their ghoulish grey eyes sent shivers down Jenny’s spine as the shattered dots of pupils flared in hungry anticipation. Her hand began to shake uncontrollably as she looked from face to terrifying face.

  “Oh, sweet Jesus,” she said as the number of creatures swelled to over thirty. She glanced towards Beth, who had the same fear in her eyes but was managing to hold her shotgun steady. Then she looked towards Lucy, Mike, Shaw and Barnes. They were as still as statues, their weapons extended, ready, their faces showing nothing but steely determination.

  Although Barnes was carrying his heavy sniper rifle still on his back, for this kind of quick fire, short range assault he opted for his SA80, as did Shaw. The pair began to aim and fire, calmly putting round after round into their would-be attackers’ heads. Mike did the same. His shotgun shells, requiring less accuracy, had a more visual impact; heads exploded into gory spray as the creatures were hit. Lucy had adopted a comfortable stance with her Glock 17 and aimed from one creature to the next, not considering the possibility of failure for a second. The bodies crumbled to the floor with speed and ease, and Jenny realised that her hands had stopped shaking. She was with a group of people who had faced these creatures down many times before. They had fought and won, and as foreign and frightening as this scene had been to her, it was business as usual for them.

  Jenny fired her gun, and the recoil sent her stumbling back. She looked at Lucy, copied her stance and then fired again. She still felt the kickback, but not as harshly. She aimed and fired again – the shot went wide – and again and again. With her sixth shot she hit one of the creatures in the shoulder, knocking it off its stride. The pause gave her time to aim once more. This time the bullet hit its neck, and another shot tore through its upper cheek and out of the back of its head. It stood wavering for a few seconds before it dropped to the ground face first. She took in a deep self-congratulatory breath and smiled, looking around at the other faces. She was hoping one of them had seen her shot, but they were preoccupied with taking down the rest of the beasts.

  It seemed to have gone on forever, but in reality it had been only a matter of seconds. More time than that and the RAMs would have been on them. This was how battles needed to be fought now: quickly, calmly and with no thought for who or why, just how.

  The group watched as the final creature collapsed, still frozen in their respective stances. The small clouds of smoke cleared and each of them slowly lowered their weapon. They had done well. They had wiped out a group of RAMs with far greater numbers in no time at all.

  “We’re a good team,” said Shaw, and he was greeted by smiles from everyone apart from Mike, who still refused to meet his gaze.

  They resumed their trek, ever vigilant, but now with a little more confidence after such an emphatic victory. The mood was slightly more upbeat among the adults; the children remained confused and terrified. Mike dropped back to join the stretcher team. He looked lovingly towards Lucy. He longed to be alone with her again, to hold her, to feel her gentle breath on his face. Soon... soon.

  “Oh man, Sammy and Jake are going to be so excited to see you guys again,” he said to John and Annie. “They’ve been going on about you ever since you left. And this boat we’re on, you’re going to love this boat. It’s got showers and a DVD player, and you should see Raj’s DVD collection. When we get there it’s going to be a big party all the way up to Scotland.” The children still said nothing, but their solemnity weakened each time they looked towards Mike, hoping his words were true. Mike ruffled John’s hair. “You’ll see, guys, you’re going to love it.”

  “A shower?” said Beth, considerably more interested than the children.

  “Two, actually,” said Mike.

  “I don’t suppose there’s a bar on board?” asked Jenny between puffs as she struggled with the stretcher.

  “I haven’t seen one, no,” replied Mike.

  “Thought that might be asking too much,” she replied, consigning herself to the prospect of permanent sobriety.

  “But wait until we get to Gran’s place. Dandelion wine, plum brandy, mead, cider – crikey, she’s dabbled in everything. You make friends with her, Jenny, and you’ll never be sober again,” he said, smiling.

  “And how long will it take for us to get there?” she replied, speeding her steps a little.

  Mike moved to Lucy’s side. “How’s the patient?” h
e asked, looking down at Hughes, whose eyes were closed.

  “I’ve given him a shot of morphine. He was in agony with all the jolting of being carried. Once we can get him properly rested he’ll soon heal,” replied Lucy.

  “Well, not far to go now. We should be at the fence in a few minutes,” he said, checking the compass again.

  “It’s going to be so good to be back with everyone,” said Lucy. She and Mike veered off to the side a little so they could talk more privately. “I felt lost without you. Not just you, but Emma and Sammy and Jake. I felt empty. I can’t wait to see them again,” she said, sneaking her hand into Mike’s.

  “They can’t wait to see you. Me, on the other hand, I don’t think I’ll get the warmest of welcomes,” he said, thinking back to how he had hijacked the boat.

  He told Lucy the story of how first Emma then Raj had wanted to come, and he explained how he had finally taken it upon himself to launch a one-man rescue.

  She kissed his hand. “The whole situation was messed up. You were right and you were wrong. I can’t judge you because if you hadn’t shown up, I’d be dead now, we all would. You saved us... again. That must be getting pretty boring for you now,” she said, squeezing his hand affectionately. “But on the flip side of the coin, I hate the thought that you risked your life coming after me. I hate the thought that you risked your family’s safety coming after me. I hate the thought that you lied to them coming after me. You can’t keep taking such huge risks with everything, because at some point it will backfire and then we’ll all be screwed.” She turned to meet his eyes as he walked along.

  “I hear what you’re saying, Lucy, but just forget for a second that I’ve got this unhealthy obsession with you.” They smiled at each other and held hands tighter. “If it had been another member of our group, Beth, or Jenny, or one of the kids, taken against their will, I would have done exactly the same. And to keep the rest of the group strong, I wouldn’t have wanted to reduce the numbers on the boat further. Em is actually pretty formidable now. She’s turned into something I didn’t expect, a kind of bad-tempered Xena on acid.” Lucy laughed at the description. “And Raj is a good man, a decent man who tries hard to do the right thing. He’s the voice of reason and he’s got some medical knowledge. Together they can provide safety for the rest of them. I’m certain I was right to leave them behind, and I know without question I was right to come after you. If they have a problem with me, fair enough, but given the time and the resources I had, I couldn’t have played it any other way.” This time he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “I’d have walked through a lake of fire to get you back, Lucy, but there’s no way I could have asked anyone to follow me.” He gently let go of her hand and speeded up to resume his position at the head of the group with Barnes.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  By the time they reached the beach, the sun was low in the sky. Beth and Jenny were exhausted, having had fewer breaks as the race to beat the darkness consumed them. Mike dragged the dingy to the water’s edge and he and Barnes carefully placed the stretcher inside. He ushered the children on board and then signalled for Beth to join them. He instructed Barnes to get them all on board safely and then return for the rest of the group.

  Within half an hour, the four journeys had been made and Mike was retying the motor dinghy to the cruiser. The deck had been a flurry of noise and activity at first, but now he stood there alone, ready to rejoin his family. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around to be greeted with a furious slap to the face.

  “Fuck,” he cried, holding his hand up to his cheek and eye. It was followed by a hard kick to the shin which made him buckle over as he began rubbing it frantically.

  “If you ever, ever do anything like that again I will wash my hands of you,” shouted Emma. “I don’t care what you think your reasons are in that fucked-up little brain of yours, you never lie to me like that again. You never take a risk with all of our safety like that again. If you have a plan, we discuss it. Just in case you didn’t hear me the first time, I repeat, you never do anything like that again. Do you understand what I’m saying, Mike? Am I making it simple enough for you?” She turned around and stormed off before he even had chance to reply.

  “That went well,” he said to himself, still rubbing his shin.

  A voice from the shadows startled him. “I know I do not possess your skills, Mike, but I hoped you had enough respect for me to at least tell me the truth,” said Raj, slowly walking forward. “I told you my reasons for wanting to come with you, for needing to come with you. You accepted them and then you betrayed my trust. You are a fine man, a brave man, Mike, but trust is a valuable commodity and you have traded mine for your own ends.” Raj looked down solemnly and began to head below deck.

  “I’m sorry, Raj,” he replied. His friend stopped, his back still to Mike, but listening nonetheless. “The chances of us getting out alive – one of us or both of us – were about the same. Astronomical at best. If I was going to die, I wanted it to be with the knowledge that someone who possessed the decency, intelligence and honour that you have would take my family to safety. I’m sorry I lied to you, Raj. I did it for selfish reasons, like you said. I was torn between my brother and sisters and Lucy. I hope one day I can regain your trust.” The silence that followed was ended by three happy barks from the saloon below deck. Raj lowered his head, a little conflicted as he walked back inside. Before he disappeared he called back behind him. “We’ll have to find more fuel for our journey.”

  Mike leaned on one of the railings. It had hardly been a triumphant return, but at least the people he cared about were safe, and he would sacrifice his own popularity for that every time. He heard a door open below deck and then footsteps. Lucy came and stood by his side as the boat gently rocked beneath them. They held hands in silence, watching the sun go down.

  As the chill of evening shivered through them he wrapped his arm around Lucy and pulled her closer. “What was it you wanted to say to me?” he asked her, angling his tired head to rest on top of hers.

  “Hmm?” she asked, breaking out of her daze.

  “In the ward, before those three RAMs broke in, you said you wanted to tell me something the morning you got taken,” he said, breathing in the soft scent of her hair.

  There was a silence as she struggled to find the right words. “It’s like you said, everything has happened so fast.” Mike suddenly felt uneasy. Was she trying to let him down gently? “But,” she continued, “I think this environment makes everything happen fast. We’ve been living life at the speed of light. We haven’t had a minute to take stock. It’s been bam, getting out of Leeds, bam, dealing with the raiders, bam, getting trapped in the house, getting rescued, getting to Skelton. Thinking you’d died, then you turning up in Candleton. The battle, me getting kidnapped, everything. It’s been relentless. Everything has happened so quickly and I think we’ve adapted quickly, I think our emotions have taken the strain, and that’s why we’re still here and others aren’t.” She took hold of both of his hands. “What I’m trying to say, although I’m clearly not doing a very good job, is... I’m older than you. I’ve had more experience. I know when something feels wrong and when something feels right and this feels right. I love you, Mike,” she said, leaning in and kissing him passionately on the lips.

  He reluctantly pulled away and looked into her moon-glinted eyes. “I can’t promise you the life you deserve, Lucy, I wish I could. I don’t know what’s waiting for us when we get to Gran’s place. I don’t know if she’s even alive. All I can tell you is that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us safe and I’ll do whatever I can to make you happy.”

  She kissed him, took hold of his hand and led him below deck.

  *

  That night the cruiser remained anchored in the same spot. The conversations between Emma, Raj and Mike were strained all evening, but with the rest of the group it was business as usual. The children were almost relaxed; a flickering TV screen lit up one of
the cabins with a familiar DVD playing in the background as they made childish chatter. Another cabin was occupied by Hughes, still unconscious from the morphine. The librarians were introduced to everybody, but they didn’t fare well in large groups and spent most of the evening huddled together in one corner of the room. Shaw and Barnes sat together, feeling like outsiders but grateful to be away from the base and willing to prove themselves no matter how mistrusted they were.

  All the supplies were stacked in one corner of the large saloon and everyone glanced towards them at some point in the evening, realising that this represented all their worldly goods. With these bags and boxes they were going to build new lives for themselves. Throughout the evening, the members of the group who had escaped from the camp took it in turns to take a quick shower and scramble together a change of clothes to give themselves a sense of refreshment, of normal life.

  When it came time to retire, everyone agreed that as it was Raj and Talikha’s boat, they should have the remaining cabin, with Humphrey joining them. Emma and Beth joined their siblings in the children’s cabin and the rest scattered around finding cushions, sleeping bags and floor space to make themselves as comfortable as possible.

  Lucy and Mike cuddled up in a corner, holding each other tightly, frustrated that they couldn’t enjoy the privacy they needed to be intimate, but grateful that they were together again.

  *

  The journey took three days. They stopped to find fuel twice, and Shaw and Barnes volunteered to be part of the scouting party in a bid to prove themselves to the group. Each time, they docked in a small harbour. The surrounding villages were eerily quiet.

  The librarians began making a full inventory of the food. Emma catalogued the weapons and ammunition supply, while Lucy tended to Hughes with the help of Talikha and Beth. Lucy realised that any medical staff would have to be trained by her. Raj had good general medical knowledge, and Talikha had proved to be more than capable when she was helping Lucy back at the hotel, but if she was not to become a slave to her own abilities, Lucy would need to make sure others were able to contribute in some substantive way.