by Sam Herrera
“How was your race?” I asked, hearing their heavy breathing. Cujo often let Ethan pick him up and carry him out into the desert for a race across it. Ethan flying, Cujo running. A risk, but who could stop them?
“Very well. But, like I said, I’ll struggle to hold it all.”
“I’ll get Chloe to go with you,” I nodded. She could use the distraction.
*
“Good luck,” I told them.
“Cease your squirming,” Ethan scowled.
“Your hide is uncomfortable,” she complained. I looked up at her as Ethan rose to his full height with Chloe’s arms and legs tight around his neck and waist.
“Get off my wing,” he told her as he walked towards the opening and perched on the very edge.
“How are your night eyes?” I asked, running to catch up.
“I can see as clear as day,” he assured. He went into a crouch and then, with a flutter of bat-like wings, they vanished into the dark.
*
“She’s back.” We both looked up to see Caleb come racing around the corner. “She’s back,” he repeated, yelling.
“Chloe?” I asked. Oh, please let it be so. Weeks had passed and were down to our last pitiful morsels. I sighed as I patted my growling stomach. I didn’t think I could take any more all-night whining about this, from it or the others.
“No, Aunt Kris.” I’m gonna kill her. I leapt up and followed him. I watched, among the eager crowd, as the Winter landed, coming to rest on the stone with a soft, metallic clink. Kristen, a tall blond guy in his late forties, a woman of roughly the same age, a younger man with an ill-favored look, a Chinese man with a bald head and muscular build and a young boy, about twelve or thirteen, came bounding down the ramp.
“Whohooo!” Chloe howled as Ethan came swooping in after them, alighting with a flutter of leathery wings, and she leapt off. “Hell of a rush. Holy shit, Sam!” She flung her arms around the stunned-looking blond man. I watched as brother and sister were reunited. Then she and Kristen came together, making out like there was no tomorrow.
“Ewww. Is that the mutant you told me about, Dickface?”
Ethan threw an offended look at the kid then, over his head, at Kristen who took her tongue out of Chloe’s mouth long enough to swallow hard and look very nervous. The woman grabbed the kid’s shoulder and drew him close as Ethan came forward, extending his bladed arm and clawed hand. Oh, boy.
“You must be Sam Walker. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The guy, wide-eyed and wary, took the hand, more on instinct than anything else, I supposed.
“This is my sister-in-law, Alison and my nephew, Stephen,” Chloe introduced.
“Hi.”
“Hello.” The strangers stood aside as food from the Winter was unloaded. Chloe, Ethan and I made sure it was distributed fairly. They had to force the dogs away.
“My father had a very large dick. I only found this out when I accidentally opened the bathroom door, that he had left unlocked, and found him urinating. It, needless to say, was very embarrassing for the both of us.” Fuck’s sake.
“Who is that?” Sam Walker asked, eyeing Faith who was grabbing some bread rolls, humming ‘Cherry Pie’ to herself.
“That’s Faith. She’s our resident cook. She’s good,” I offered by way of an apology.
“I’ll show ya around,” Chloe said, taking his hand and leading both him and Kristen away, catching, no doubt, the look that promised I would flay her lover alive soon enough.
“No, let’s talk first.” With a last, stunned look at Ethan they walked away, leaving me alone with Baldy and his pal. I had decided already I didn’t like the look of either of them, but made an effort to be welcoming.
“Kyle Thayer,” I smiled, offering a hand.
“Justin Chong.”
“Bob Snow.”
“If you’d like to follow me, we can find you a place and hear each other’s stories.”
*
“I was in the OWO,” Snow told us once we’d settled down in the cave for some lunch and to hear his story, “and I was a rising star,” he smirked. “That was until they invented that Mark thing. Then I got the hell out of there. I remembered stories my grandmother used to tell me and decided I wasn’t taking any chances. I tried to get out. They captured me and threw me in the prison pit with Sam and Jus here. They were what’s known as Cat I prisoners: I for interrogation. They wanted to know where Sam’s sister was. She was important to Karden for some reason. They threatened to torture his wife in order to get him to talk.” I shot a glance at Alison Walker and saw her face fill with horror.
“I didn’t know where she was but they refused to believe that. Fuckers,” her husband growled.
“Go on, Snow,” I encouraged. Others had called him Bob, but I was reluctant.
“Then, as we were in our cell, the whole wall gave way, just crumbled inward. When the dust cleared,. we saw.” He snorted, seeming unable to believe this himself. “We saw, through the hole, a door open in thin air right in front of us with this Kristen girl, the kid and his wife right there.”
“I’d already gone to his house. Alison told me they’d taken him to the “police station,” Kristen scoffed, making speech bubbles with her fingers. “I broke through the cell wall, using the Winter as a battering ram. It looked as though they could use some help,” she shrugged, seeing our slightly shocked faces.
“I told her to be careful as she could have killed them, but who listens to me?” Alison grumbled.
“Not me,” Kristen grinned.
“What’s happening right now anyway?” I asked. “Have there been any more attacks by the Locusts?”
“Them lizard things? They’re gone. Been gone for a while.”
“Just like that?” He nodded. I shook my head doubtfully. An entire alien species just appears suddenly, tortures hundreds of people in their towers and then vanishes? Gimme a break .“What about Karden?”
“He’s based in America,” Chong nodded. “He’s practically president. Simon Cale has given him full reign over the new army – the only army there is now. And they answer only to him. Right now they’re calling him the Emperor of the One World Order or some shit. I used to be in this army as well. I got caught using on the job.”
“Using what?” I asked. He threw one disparaging look and my forebodings increased. A fucking junkie? Great. Chong must have seen this on my face for he quickly added: “I’ve been clean for months. I had no choice: when they caught me they locked me up and threw away the key. Anyway Karden and Cale are in Washington now and they’re mobilizing their government. They’ve got it in for you lot: outcasts, rebels and such. They say you’re the last remaining threat to harmony and unity.”
They would say that; we didn’t agree with the regime and we didn’t kiss ass.
“Do they know where to look for us?” Ethan asked.
“No,” Snow swallowed, eyeing him warily, “but they’re combing each and every part of America. In the more remote places they’re using firebombs and gas grenades to try and smoke you out.” I silenced the panicked whispers and gasps with a wave.
“It’s okay people. We’ve got thirty feet of rock over our heads; they can’t touch us. They’ll never find us either. Now let’s all get back to work. There are chores to do and guests to get settled, in case you hadn’t noticed. I want plenty of hard work that I can take all the credit for,” I grinned. The meeting dispersed with many a chuckle and mutter of “asshole”.
MARA
I was scared shitless, for both myself and for Caleb. Why had Kyle insisted I come here? It put Caleb in a very dangerous position, but “she’s not going anywhere without me” had been his final word on it. I swallowed hard, seeing the fuel stop come into view. It looked perfectly ordinary: a gas stop in the middle of a dry, dusty part of the Nevada desert. But who knew what we were walking into now, wi
th the world gone completely mad? How can one man be running the entire planet? It didn’t matter how. It was happening. Passing Liberty Island, I’d seen the Statue of Victory, standing where the Statue of Liberty had once been. It was a gigantic model of Karden, cast from solid gold and with huge, glittering emeralds for eyes. Ethan had gazed over at it with a mournful look, as though he had long seen this coming.
“He gave life to the statue so that it could speak and it commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.” Thank you very much. In the distance I could see the glittering lights of Vegas. People still gamble? God. We set down in the parking lot. The Nighthawks, which were the names of the early Winter prototypes, already being made in army bases as an experiment, were still just that: prototypes, unknown to anyone outside Karden’s circle. At a nod from Kyle, we pulled down our ski masks, jumped off the ramp and I was jamming a gun into the terrified counter kid’s face in seconds. I hated guns, always had and the tears leaking out of the boy’s eyes made me feel all kinds of shitty. But Kyle had ordered that everyone go armed and he’d literally forced the gun into my hand. Dick.
“Get out and get on the ground,” I ordered in a gruff voice while Caleb and Dave took out the cameras with two precise shots, my eyes flickered to the flames tattooed on his forehead, flames that slanted in a very distinct shape. Uhhh, I don’t need this. There was no resistance after the other store clerks saw Ethan boldly stroll in behind us. They were forced to their knees in front of the counter as he covered them with his massive battle rifle. We went from aisle to aisle, grabbing everything we could find. I grinned as I found a bottle of Coke and drank deep while filling my sack with the rest of the fridge’s contents: as many bagels and snacks as I could find. You never knew when you would get another meal. Suddenly a shock shuddered all the way up my arm with such force that my drink went all down my front and my back hit the fridge door. I knew what was coming instantly, even before I saw the red-and-blue lights flash their way down the dusty road.
“Guys,” I called, indicating them. As one we drew our weapons and ducked. Ethan grabbed the checkout boy and dragged him to the front door while crouching behind the magazine rack next to it.
“Hi, chief,” the kid stammered. Chong and I hid behind the counter while Caleb and Snow squatted behind the aisles.
“Hi, can I come in?”
“Sorry, we’re closed.”
“I thought you were open twenty-four-seven?”
“We are but we’re kind of short on manpower: people are sick.”
“What’s goin’ on, son?” the Zero, as we had come to call them, asked. They had a lot of Os in their title: One World Order Official and according to Richard they would have zero luck on Judgment Day. So it was kind of fitting.
“Nothing,” the kid protested.
“I’m comin’ in.” Ethan slapped the guy senseless almost before he was through the door.
“Don’t kill me. I didn’t tell him, I swear,” the kid squealed, in more tears.
“Oookay,” I sighed, wide-eyed, as Caleb secured the thug’s weapon.
“Walker, bring the Winter around the back,” Ethan called over his handheld radio. We hefted our full sacks over our shoulders and ran for the staff exit.
“How did you know they were coming?” Sam Walker asked me on the way back. I flexed my metal hand in front of my face before giving him an oh-so-innocent shrug.
*
“That was pretty fast work,” Kyle smiled, coming up behind me. We stood in the cavern, watching the others eagerly divvy up our haul among themselves. We’ll eat like kings. . “That metal hand of yours comes in useful.” He knows about that?
“Yes, I’m glad of it.”
“What if we gave you a position on all the raids? Believe me your warnings may well save many lives, including your boyfriend’s. Oh, yes, I heard. There are no secrets here.” I beamed. “Enjoy all the fucking.”
“Always do,” I grinned ruefully, watching him go.
*
I waited in line for dinner, later that evening. The food we’d swiped was quarter-breadsticks, fruit, packet soups and freeze-dried noodles with all the protein and nutrition of old leather. But what else could we have done? We had no stove, no ovens, nothing. Faith did what she could, making each meal as varied as she could, mainly by adding spreads and chopped fruit to the mix. In fact many came to her with requests and that was what had got her to the position of cook: the many ideas she got from them. I looked around for Caleb, wanting to be with him. I couldn’t see him anywhere. Snow, behind me, suddenly shoved me out of the way.
“Hey,” I protested.
“What?” He turned, a sneer on his lips and his mean, piggy little eyes narrowed.
“Wait your turn, that’s what,” Caleb snapped, coming forward down the line with a face like thunder.
“What are you going to do, little boy?” Snow smirked, coming toe-to-toe with him. The sound of a safety catch flicking off was very quiet but it gained immediate attention in the crowded room.
“Is there a problem here?” Kyle asked, pressing the muzzle against the nape of Snow’s neck while Chloe, her eyes shooting angry blue flames, drew her sword and twirled it in her hands. Cujo, standing beside her, gave a low growl deep in his throat.
“This arsehole thinks it’s alright to shove my girlfriend around.”
“Is that what happened, Mara?”
“I was—”
“Shut up. Is it?” I nodded. “Right, go to the back of the line.” He fired up at the ceiling, causing us all to flinch. “Now!” he barked. I got my meal and went to my usual spot on the floor, next to Abby while Snow was driven back and back by the point of Chloe’s sword.
“What the fuck?” We both looked up as Caleb joined us. Snow was staring at Faith’s back as she exited the room, the wrapped leftover sandwiches under her arm. “Where’s she goin?”
“I’ve excused her from duty,” Kyle told him tonelessly.
“What am I gonna eat?” he protested.
“You should have thought about that before you insulted my friend.”
“I’ll starve.”
“No, you won’t, there’s breakfast tomorrow and you can get something then, provided of course you mind your manners.”
“You’re a dead man,” he growled, starting forward. Kyle’s only answer was to redraw the gun and hold it loosely by his side. I smirked up at Snow as he was on his way out, getting a filthy look in reply. Kyle waited until we had all collected our meals and were seated before moving into the center of the cave, clearing his throat meaningfully.
“For those of you who are new here, I have a couple of rules to lay down: no one bullies anyone here and everyone is treated equally. We also feed each other equally. To ensure this I will now be starting a rota of armed guard duty for the food here, taking on only those I trust. Anyone caught thieving will be shot. Enjoy your food.”
“Tough, inne?” Abby smiled ruefully.
“Tough? He’s like a fucking cockroach. You wanna train with him. Oh, fucking take it!” I scowled at the begging Cuffy, braining him with a quarter of my loaf.
“Well, serves Snow right, the dickhole,” Caleb scowled. “I swear if he starts shoving you around again—”
“I’m fine,” I assured quickly. He nodded and put his hand on top of mine, but his mood remained dark.
“My father had a hole in his dick.”
“Oooohhhh, hell. You told us that already.”
“I know this,” Faith smiled, coming back to collect our dirty plates and ignoring this, “for a fact because I often heard, and once saw, him using it to urinate. It was always a gush rather than a trickle that spoke of an impressive width.”
“So, Coz,” Abby said after a while of looking over our shoulders, watching her go, “how did you two meet?” I smiled gratefully as Caleb filled her in on our dating
history, starting with the first meeting in the school canteen and ending with us joining her and Kristen’s rescue party.
“Wow, that’s quite a story,” she said finally, nodding.
“Is Jamie dead?” We all looked up at Kristen, standing over us, our fond smiles vanishing instantly.
“Yeah,” Caleb sighed, nodding. “You haven’t heard?”
“I had. I just wanted to hear it from you. I’m really sorry, Caleb,” she said softly. His blue eyes grew cloudy and sad as he set his plate down on the floor and, standing, put his arms around her.
“I’m sorry too,” he whispered into the crook of her neck. She blinked, her large dark orbs overly bright. I lowered my own eyes, feeling as though I should be somewhere else at this mournful moment.
“Sorry,” she sniffed again, wiping at her eyes. I shook my head. I wanted to hold Caleb; he looked so hurt and vulnerable and that made him even more attractive to me.
“Hey, Kristen.” I smiled to see Steven, Chloe’s nephew, come to join us. “Have you seen Chloe anywhere?”
“No, kid. She was here just a second ago.” I frowned, looking around. Where was she?
“Has anyone seen Bob?” We greeted this new arrival with fewer smiles. Justin Chong crouched beside Steven, looking at each of us. I personally wasn’t surprised the two of them were close; he was just as big an asshole.
“No,” Caleb said shortly, “why don’t you try somewhere else?” Chong narrowed his eyes at the implication and then looked at me.
“Kyle kicked him out for shoving me around.”
“What did he do that was so bad?”
“Didn’t you hear? He shoved Mara around. I’d say that’s bad enough, wouldn’t you?” he asked, seeming to dare Chong to say no.
“Snow’s a dick,” Steven huffed, sitting next to me.
“Does your mom know you talk like that?” I asked him.
“Yes,” he nodded, smiling.
“Where is he then?”
“Caleb just told you he’s not here, stupid.”