Managing the Apocalypse

by C. J. Boyle

  "Carl, we have a problem in sector four. The grid is down in that area. Over."

  Carl sat on his 4-wheeler, "Ten-four." He put his radio away and looked at his canine pal. "Arch, you ready for patrol?" He started the ATV and headed to sector four. He drove along the fence line for about a mile until he reached the area in question. Archie ran ahead of him and started barking. Carl didn't know why until he got closer and was able to see the fence better.

  "This is Carl, I'm in sector four. I need a couple of guys with some chainsaws and a repair crew for this fence. Over."

  Not so far away, on the same grounds, Brody watched Kera playing soccer with a bunch of kids. It was a beautiful day. Most of the children didn't even have jackets on. Seeing her laughing and running around with a smile on her face made him happy. A few months ago, he foolishly professed his love for her when he really didn't even know her. He had deep feelings for her that he thought was love but he was wrong. The two of them never really had any intimate one on one conversations until they started sleeping together. How could you say you love someone when you don't know their hopes and dreams? She wasn't the woman that he thought she was, she was so much more. She wasn't the fragile, little damsel in distress that he thought she was, nor did he want one. He watched her roll the ball up to a little boy and encourage him to kick it. He brought his little foot back and tried to kick it as hard as he could, but instead his foot ended up on top of the ball, it rolled forward, and the boy ended up on his back in the grass crying.

  Kera grabbed the boy under his shoulders and pulled him up, planted him on his feet, and put the ball in front of him. "Try again." The boy successfully kicked the ball the second time around and then ran after it. That's when she looked at Brody and realized he'd been watching her. She gave him a painfully alluring and seductive look that made him want to grab her and do very private things to her. Did he love her back then? Probably not. Did he love her now? Hell yeah.

  The prison ALARM sounded!

  Everyone looked around wondering what was going on and if it was a false alarm. Every couple of weeks New Hope ran drills. Kera scanned the field and thought she saw dogs running towards them. "Everyone inside! Come on, inside, NOW!" What looked like dogs before became so much clearer when the Links came into view. Most of the children were already being hurried inside, but one child stood in the field frozen in fear and shrieking. Kera ran towards her, but a Link got to her first. It grabbed the child and started to drag her away. Kera ran as fast as she could after it, as she watched the kid bouncing up and down over grass and whatever else was in its path. Kera tried to control her breathing while she ran. Her lungs hurt and she didn't know how much further she could go, but she refused to give up. That Link was not going to get away with that girl. When she got within arm's length, Kera jumped on it grabbing it around its neck.

  Brody saw the woman he loved run off after a Link at top speed and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it because a Link ran past him and right into the building looking for a quick meal. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't have to like it. He grabbed his shotgun and went into the building after it. When he got inside, he followed the screams. He ran up the stairs and down the hall until he found the Link on top of a man, vomiting acid all over his face and chest. There was blood all over the place. Just as Brody aimed his gun it turned around and squirted some acid at him. It hit him in the chest and started to eat away at his clothes. Brody was torn between the need to rip his sweatshirt off and the need to blow the damn thing's head off. He fired at the Link's head, causing blood to splatter against the wall behind it. It lay on the floor next to the man. They were both dead. Brody fired at the Link again just for good measure. He looked at his shirt. It had a hole in it about the size of a silver dollar and it was getting bigger. Brody knew from experience that, if he didn't get it off, it would eventually burn the hell out of him. He took the shirt off, revealing a blue t-shirt. He checked himself again. No hole. His radio screamed at him. "This is Carl, I'm in sector four, I think Links breached the fence!"

  Brody's eyes widened and he nodded sarcastically. He responded, "Ya think?"

  * * *

  Mitchell ran into the field followed by two men. They were firing at two Links that were dragging a man behind them. One of the Links fell to the ground and the other dropped the man and tried to run away. Mitchell was going to follow it, but something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. When he looked, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kera was on the back of one of the Links and it was trying to throw her off. He yelled to the men, "Hey, go after that one. I'm going to help Kera!"

  Kera hooked her elbow around the Link's neck and then anchored that arm with her other one. It was desperately trying to get her off its back and its only defense seemed to be to try to spray acid on her. It's flesh-colored, straw-like appendage came out of its mouth, as it tried to turn and spray her with it. She was filled with instant fear. She knew what that stuff could do and she didn't want it on her. Even during the life and death fight, she found herself in, she was glad to see that the little girl she was trying to save was up and running back towards the prison. She was suddenly looking straight into that acid-throwing straw. She grabbed it and squeezed it as hard as she could and jerked it a few times back and forth, cutting her wrist on the Link's razor-sharp teeth. The Link started to weaken and its legs buckled as she continued to choke the life out of it. Just as it fell to the ground she cut the straw back and forth on the Link's sharp teeth and then ripped it out of its mouth. She stood there, breathing hard and looking down at it. She threw the straw to the ground in disgust.

  Kera worked at trying to catch her breath. She was dizzy and felt like she had run at full speed far after the point that she should have stopped. Fighting with the Link had been intense and terrifying. It made her heart beat as fast as it possibly could.

  Mitchell looked at the bloody Link-straw laying on the ground as he stepped toward Kera. "Jesus Christ, woman!" He heard a noise next to him and suddenly realized that it was the sound of Kera's blood hitting the dry grass. It was dripping off her fingers and onto the ground. He quickly took his t-shirt off. Kera was still busy trying to catch her breath but Mitchell's naked, hairy chest wasn't lost to her. He grabbed her wounded hand and started to wrap the t-shirt around it.

  His eyes flicked over to the bloody Link part again. He exhaled loudly, "Kera, we need to talk."

  Kera scrunched her face up in pain as he wrapped her hand, "What?" Her chest rose and fell as she concentrated on taking deep breaths. She needed to calm down.

  "You know I've always fancied you, right?" He looked her in the eye and waited for acknowledgment.

  "Yeah, ow!"

  "You see, I've always thought that, when you were done with Brody, you'd give me a go." He finished wrapping her hand.

  She raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled, "Okay."

  "I am not attracted to you anymore," he flared his arms out to the sides, "at all."

  Kera giggled and saw an opportunity to tease him. "Oh, okay," she grinned. "So if I were to lean in and whisper," he instinctively leaned forward as she got her lips close enough to his ear that they almost touched it, "danger makes me so...horny." She emphasized the 'whore' in horny. She stepped back from him and smiled, "That would have absolutely no effect on you?"

  Mitchell stared at her blankly, "You are an evil woman." He eventually smiled at her and then reached into this pocket. He pulled out a bag of pot. "Meet me later?" Her eyes lit up. "You know where."

  Brody walked up behind Mitchell and looked him over. He was obviously trying to figure out why Mitchell was shirtless. He looked Kera over and quickly located the reason. "Are you okay?" He looked at the dead Link, "What the hell happened?" He went over to her and grabbed her arm and hand to look at it. He started leading her back to the prison. He eyed Mitchell as they passed him. "We've never discussed this before, but, are we exclusive?"

  Kera's mouth dropped open and sh
e stopped cold, "Brody, if you're seeing other women, I WILL kill you."

  Brody laughed, "I wasn't talking about me." He glanced over his shoulder at Mitchell.

  Kera followed his glance. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Brody was concerned that Kera might have eyes for more than one man. She leaned in close to him and he put his arm around her as they walked. "Well...He is very easy on the eyes. And look at that chest of his!" She felt his muscular arm tense up for a moment. She looked up at him. He did not seem amused. "I'm sorry. I was only kidding."

  Brody sighed, "I don't mean to be so jealous. He's just so damn cocky and he doesn't hide the fact that he's into you." He gestured at Mitchell who was walking ahead of them. "He took the shirt off his back for you."

  Kera couldn't help but enjoy the situation. "Brody. He is just my friend. And he's just playing. It's some sort of defense mechanism. He says stuff like that to deflect from the current situation. It makes him feel better to be a little horny instead of being terrified."

  Brody nodded, "It is better to be horny." They walked past solitary confinement. He smiled and winked at her.

  She felt the heat on her face as she turned three shades of red. She remembered that night so vividly. She held up her right hand. The t-shirt was soaked in blood. "As much as I'd like to..."

  Brody's face suddenly changed to concern. He scooped her up into his arms and walked as fast as he could. "Let's get you to Doc."

  Kera giggled, "Brody! My legs aren't broken!"

  Brody brought her to the Infirmary. The doctor wasn't there but a veterinarian who agreed to work in the clinic offered to stitch up Kera in his absence. She was a young woman who was just graduated when Links turned, but she seemed very confident. Brody dutifully stood by and watched as Dr. Keller started closing the first gash in her wrist. Kera noticed his normal golden brown face was turning pale and his eyes started to glaze over.

  "Brody, why don't you go get something to eat, or something?" Kera smiled at him.

  His worried face turned to her. The war going on in his brain showed all over his face. "Are you sure? Because I'll stay if you want me to." He glanced at Dr. Keller while she pushed a needle through Kera's flesh and then pulled the thread through. He frowned and swallowed hard.

  Kera laughed, "Go."

  He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, "Thanks." Then he practically ran out of the room.

  Dr. Keller smiled, "That Milano Adonis is yours?"

  Kera took a second, or ten, to pull apart the meaning and implications of her question. Did she think he was too good looking for her? Was she just making conversation? Was she interested in him? Of course, she was. Kera was certain that most people either wanted him or wanted to be him. Her brain shrugged. "Too bad, you can't have him."

  Dr. Keller looked at her funny, "Okay?"

  Kera giggled, "He's mine. Mmmiinnnee. My teeth feel funny."

  "I must have given you too much pain killer. Enjoy it while it lasts. We're running low." She started to stitch up the second gash in her wrist. Each one was about five inches long. "You're going to have nasty scars. There's no way to avoid it."

  Just as Dr. Keller finished up, Dr. Wallace came into the lab looking out of breath and worried. "Kera, are you okay?" He went over to her and looked at her wrist. "They told me you were hurt and I went all the way to the field. I was frantic."

  Kera looked at her Uncle Shawn with concern. He had beads of sweat on his forehead. "I didn't mean to worry you."

  "You never do, do you?" He responded curtly. Dr. Keller quietly left the room.

  Kera wasn't sure how to respond, "What?"

  "When are you going to learn that you aren't superhuman and that you can't save everyone?" He paced back and forth.

  "Uncle Shawn, what's this about?" Kera was shocked. He had never acted this way towards her before.

  "You keep running into danger and never give any thought to anyone else. No one else matters, do they?!" He got angrier. "You tried to kill yourself thinking you had nothing and no one so no one would care, right?" He jammed his finger into his chest several times. "I gave up my life for you... I gave up my WIFE for you!"

  Kera was hot. She couldn't tell if she was ashamed of herself or angry or both. "I didn't ask you to do that."

  "You don't ask for people to love you, Kera. They just do." Dr. Wallace raised his arms up in the universal 'I give up'. "When are you going to stop all this? I thought that when you and Brody got together you'd stop trying to get yourself killed, but..." He raised his arms up again.

  She felt about two inches tall. He was right. She never really considered his feelings. She tried very hard not to cry, but she couldn't hold it in. Thick tears rolled down her face. "I'm sorry."

  The words seemed to surprise him. He looked at her in awe. "You are? I didn't know you were capable of being sorry!" He stormed out of the room leaving her upset and alone.

  She looked at the bandages on her right arm, knowing that the scars would one day be a nasty reminder of the day that she finally pushed her godfather too far. She thought about Mitchell and his bag of pot and knew that he'd be waiting for her at sunset. She knew that Brody didn't like her smoking pot and she knew that he didn't like Mitchell. It made her feel like she needed to sneak around to spend time with both. She wasn't lying or sneaking around, but it made her feel bad nonetheless. She knew she probably shouldn't smoke pot so soon after taking pain killers and she knew that you really shouldn't smoke pot if you're sad. But she also knew that she was going to do it anyway.

  ~ The Dope ~

  Mitchell and Kera sat leaning against a wall on top of the Watch Tower at sunset. The day was wonderfully warm, but now that the sun was going down, it started to get cold again. Mitchell had a joint pinched between his fingers and brought it to his lips for a long pull. He handed it to Kera. "He yelled at you? Wow. I can't picture it."

  "Yeah, he said I didn't care about anyone except myself." Kera took a drag off the joint, "I mean, that might have been true when I tried to kill myself. I wasn't exactly in the best state of mind."

  He slowly turned his head toward her, "You tried to kill yourself?"

  "The day of The Turn. No one knows c'ept Uncle Shawn, JoJo, and Brody. I'm alive because of him." She gazed at the sunset.

  "Do you love him?"

  Kera looked at him curiously. It sounded like a question that might lead to an awkward conversation. She thought for a moment and decided it was best to be truthful with him. "These last few months with Brody have been a real eye opener."

  He squinted at her, "How so?"

  She took a long drag off her joint and held it in until she coughed a little. Mitchell laughed at her, so she kicked him. "He made me realize that I've never really been in love before."

  "Until now."

  "Yeah," she handed the joint back to him, "until now."

  Mitchell looked at the beautiful sunset, "Have you told him?"

  Kera hadn't told him. It should be an easy thing. You look at the man that makes you weak in the knees and you tell him that you couldn't imagine life without him. "I'm afraid."

  Mitchell playfully tapped her foot with his. "You need to tell him. You could have been killed today. He would have never heard the words."

  That was her fear. She would say the words out loud and announce to The Universe that she was actually happy. The Universe, for some reason, didn't seem to like her very much. She decided early on that she must have been a very bad person in a previous life. Very bad, as in, 'Hitler' bad. If she were to say the words out loud, that would be like inviting The Universe to smite her...or worse...someone she loved, just to put her back in her place. There is no happiness for Kera, oh no, there is no happiness for her. Bad Kera. You sit in that corner where you belong and be miserable.

  Mitchell could tell she was deep in thought. He tapped her foot with his again. "You know that I love you, right?" He looked her in the eye and smiled.

  Kera couldn't tell if he was serious or not,
"That's just the marijuana talking."

  He laughed smoke out of his mouth. "No. You're the closest thing I have to a best friend." He pulled his legs under him and sat Indian style. He grabbed her hand and held it for a moment. "A best friend that I make frequent inappropriate comments to." Immensely relieved, Kera laughed. He rubbed his eyes. "That one you made to me earlier was a doozie. Is it true?" He considered for a moment and then held his hand up, "No, I changed my mind. Don't tell me."