The Renegade

by Amy Dunne

  She wouldn’t back down until Elijah agreed to put a stop to it. Life here was hell for most of the women, but she’d do everything in her power to eradicate domestic abuse and sexual assault. The other women might be too scared to stand up and speak out, but she wasn’t.

  *

  Not long after, Evelyn stormed through the building, not breaking stride for anyone or anything. This time, she’d voice her accusation and demand Elijah put an end to it. The heels of her boots slapped loudly on the marble floor as she made her way to his personal chambers. She rounded the corner to find Scott standing outside the closed oak doors. His army uniform was far too big for him, but he wore it with unprecedented pride. He was only seventeen and one of only a handful of men who were granted permission to stay and protect the barracks and the residents of Rapture’s Haven. The sound of her shoes reverberated through the silent hallway and Scott watched her march the last few feet. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

  “Evelyn, I’m sorry but—”

  “Move, Scott,” she said and watched as he flinched at the harshness of her tone.

  “I can’t. I’m sorry. They’re in the middle of an important meeting and I’ve been warned not to let anyone in. I’ll tell them you came by. Or I can give them a message if you want?” His face was red and his voice lacked conviction. His brown eyes were big, and she could sense the plea for her to leave.

  She liked Scott. He’d always been friendly, polite toward her, and had played with Jamie on many occasions. Normally, she would’ve considered heeding his wishes so as not to risk getting him in trouble, but that wasn’t going to happen today. “Okay,” she said, turning slowly as if to walk away. From the corner of her eye she watched as Scott’s shoulders slumped. In a flash, she rushed back. He was so startled, she easily made it past him, turned the door handle, and burst into the room. She took three purposeful steps inside and placed her hands on her hips. Elijah’s surprise and irritation were quickly replaced by his usual overzealous smarmy persona. As usual David remained void of emotion as his icy gaze penetrated her.

  “Evelyn,” Elijah said, his arms spread wide as he brandished a toothy grin.

  Crocodile smile if ever I’ve seen one. Evelyn was about to speak when Scott appeared in the doorway. His chin hung down to his chest as he nervously swept his hair out of his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Elijah. I told her you were in a meeting but she refused to listen—”

  “Out. I’ll deal with you later,” David said. He didn’t bother to look at Scott. His voice was as cold as his demeanour.

  Evelyn watched Scott scurry away, closing the door behind him. Now she felt shitty, but her reasoning for tricking him was valid. Without looking, she knew David’s gaze remained focused on her. She could always feel his gaze. Her hairs stood on end and her body became hypersensitive, as if preparing for an attack. Elijah was also watching her, but she was used to his leering looks. She knew the intention behind them was lust. The intention behind David’s eluded her—that was what freaked her out.

  “Is there something you need, Evelyn?” Elijah asked.

  Choosing to ignore David, she looked directly at Elijah. He sat on an antique chair behind an impressive wooden desk. His dark hair was shaved close to his scalp. He was clean-shaven, but his skin was pale. Unhealthy dark rings hung beneath his brown eyes that revealed a sharp intellect. Always watching. The menacing glint hinted at his shrewdness and quite possibly madness, too. She could never quite shake the sinister foreboding that weighed down on her in his company.

  He’d lost weight recently, and some muscle definition, too, but he was still physically very fit. Since she’d first met him, he seemed to care little for his physical appearance. She’d come to know this was a guise. He dressed in simple clothes to lead by example, as they all had strict clothing rations and rules. But for him, it wasn’t modesty. She’d caught him glancing at his reflection numerous times, and although she hadn’t seen him work out in a while, he was clearly still doing it in private. He had an expensive taste for the finer things in life, but did well to hide it. Only his Lord God knew what secrets he had hidden in these chambers.

  Today he was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a scraggly navy blue jumper. A wooden beaded rosary hung around his neck with the wooden crucifix perfectly centred. She’d glimpsed two of his tattoos in the past. Both suggested he’d been in the armed forces, and with his knowledge of this army base and weapons, she guessed he’d been here before in his old life. In the first few weeks, he’d been hands-on with the training. He’d taught the men how to fight and use the weapons, claiming they were the Lord God’s army. The righteous. The chosen race. But in recent weeks, he’d kept himself hidden away for long periods, leaving David to do his bidding. Although it was nice to keep her distance from him, she sensed something dark gathering on the horizon. His demeanour, physical and psychological changes were all too familiar. She’d suspected drug addiction from the moment she’d met him, but to this day had no proof. Paired with his undiagnosed mental health issues, she knew drugs and religious obsession were a dangerous mix. She also knew better than to voice her concerns, as most of the faithful followers believed every word and whim he uttered. Their belief and adoration were like feeding petrol to a fire.

  In a world where monetary value no longer had worth, Elijah lived a direct contradiction of what he taught. He preached daily about living a good honest lifestyle, with few pleasures and focusing only on doing the Lord God’s bidding. The food they ate was plain. The rooms they lived in were basic. The roles they were given and the work they did were hard and sexist. No alcohol—unless deemed a special occasion. No smoking, at least for the women. But his lifestyle had a stark difference compared to that of his faithful followers. He lived alone, segregating himself in his personal chambers, which just happened to be in the one prestigious apartment of the main building that also happened to be filled with antiques and other expensive luxuries. He had a personal generator that supplied his chambers with electricity. When asked why he was living separately, he’d replied it was the Lord God’s wishes. Here, he could meditate and speak directly to his Lord God without disruption, as he never knew the day or hour he might be called upon.

  So much for living the humble life.

  She didn’t consider herself, Jamie, or a few others to be followers. They were prisoners. She also didn’t believe the prophecies or religious bullshit Elijah spouted. But like the true followers, she had to play by the rules or suffer the consequences. Elijah claimed to be the messenger of God. Evelyn hadn’t really decided on her personal stance when it came to religion; she’d flittered between different doctrines and beliefs but ultimately found fault in all. With a hundred per cent certainty, however, she would stake her soul, if she had one, on the fact Elijah was a fraud. He was a charlatan who could spout scripture from memory, stir people with his powerful sermons, and excel in lying and manipulating on a prolific scale. He’d taken full advantage of the end of the civilized world and made himself into the saviour of survivors. As far as she was concerned, he was nothing more than a deranged cult leader, and a dangerous one at that.

  “Evelyn?” he asked again.

  “Phil needs to be stopped once and for all. He’s still beating and abusing Tanya, only now his attacks are becoming life threatening. I’ve already asked you to intervene. If you don’t do something, he’s going to kill—”

  “Enough,” Elijah said sternly.

  Evelyn wanted to scream at him but knew it would do no good. She had to remain calm and try to offer rational medical insight.

  “We’ve been through this. What happens between a man and his wife is sacred. It’s between them and our Lord God.” He sat back in his seat, linking both hands together. “Their marriage was sanctified by our Lord God. His actions aren’t in vain. It’s not our place to judge or interfere.”

  Evelyn swallowed down bile. “As a doctor, it becomes my responsibility to interfere when a patient is
in physical danger—”

  “How a man sees fit to reprimand his wife is his business.”

  “So, you’re okay with the fact he’s raping her—”

  “There is no such thing as rape within a marriage. It’s a husband and wife’s duty to procreate. It’s the reason we’ve been spared. Together we shall populate the earth with our Lord God’s chosen race.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Calm down. Getting worked up won’t do you any good.” Elijah’s tone was patronizing, as if he was trying to stop the hysterics of a crazy woman. “You must trust in our Lord God. His will and unwavering love is the reason you’re alive, while billions are dead. He has a plan for each of us.”

  “How the hell does anal rape work in conjunction with your Lord God’s plan to repopulate the earth?” The room fell silent. A sense of perverse pleasure coursed through her veins as she took in the look of disgust on Elijah’s face. He quickly recovered his composure and shot an unreadable look at David, who in turn gave a slight nod.

  “He’s a monster, and if something isn’t done, he’s going to end up killing her,” Evelyn said.

  “Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I’ll pray on the matter and wait for divine instruction from our Lord God. Is that all?”

  Balling her hands into fists, she reluctantly accepted defeat. She’d done all she could, but it didn’t seem to be enough. Exasperation sapped her. This whole situation was insane. How the hell had things gotten so messed up? She and the other female survivors were living in their very own nightmarish version of The Handmaid’s Tale. She needed to get out. Refusing to say another word, she turned to leave and managed three steps before Elijah called out to her.

  “You can always come and tell me your worries, Evelyn.”

  “Great,” she said bitterly, not bothering to turn around.

  “You’ll dine with me tonight, here, in my chambers. I expect you to be calmer by then.”

  Evelyn spun around. “Calmer?”

  Elijah smiled as if she’d said something funny. “Yes. Be here by six.”

  “As pleasant as the offer is, I’ll have to decline. I’m on serving duty for this evening’s meal—”

  “You’ll be replaced. Six o’clock sharp,” he said firmly. “Clothing will be provided.” His disapproving gaze looked her up and down.

  “What—”

  “You’re dismissed,” he said flippantly. He looked down at the paperwork in front of him. “We must salvage more petrol and a larger storage container. Come winter we’ll be using double what we’re using now.”

  David silently returned to the desk and sat. “Agreed.”

  “We also need to enlarge the perimeters of the next salvage mission. We’ve yet to check these four towns,” Elijah said, pointing at a map on his desk.

  Humiliated and furious, Evelyn stormed from the room. She slammed the door loudly and the sound reverberated through the large building, echoing off the walls and marble floors.

  Scott cowered.

  She’d never been so angry in her entire life. The thought of spending an evening alone with Elijah only fuelled her seething hatred for him. As she walked outside, the sunlight warmed her face. She looked around at the grounds of Rapture’s Haven, seeing it for what it was: a prison. Large chain link fences cordoned off the allotted grounds with heavy-duty barbed wire resting on top. The entrance was gated with two large metal doors. Nothing could get in or out without Elijah’s permission. The guard tower granted an aerial view of the campground and the land beyond the gates. Standing on guard were two armed soldiers—well, that was what Elijah called them and what they considered themselves. She’d scanned the fences that kept them penned in while using the pretence of teaching Jamie and the other two children, Flora and Matilda, about nature. There were no gaps or signs of weakness that might offer a possible escape route.

  David was head of security and Elijah’s right hand man. He ensured all of the grounds including the perimeters were thoroughly checked twice a day. There was no way anyone could escape during the day—too many eyes were watching, especially as some of the followers genuinely believed this was where God wanted them. Elijah’s priming had them willing to fight the battle of good versus evil.

  “Stockholm syndrome on a mass scale,” she whispered.

  And she and Jamie were forced to live with these crazy people.

  The main problem with Elijah’s big plan to repopulate the earth? There were significantly more male survivors than female. He preached daily sermons on the importance of marriage and God’s desire for the chosen community to reproduce and ensure mankind lived on. Matrimonial pairings could only be sanctified by the Lord God, who worked through Elijah. So far, the Lord God had chosen three couples for matrimony. All three husbands just happened to be Elijah’s most faithful followers. So apparently Elijah’s Lord God didn’t work in mysterious ways after all. The message was clear: Be faithful to Elijah or face a future of celibacy. Why David remained unpaired was a mystery, but it must have been through personal choice.

  Eight soldiers had been sent out on Elijah’s holy mission to recover items of importance and to search for survivors. They’d been gone for over a month now and weren’t due to return until the beginning of winter. As well as bringing back essentials such as food, weapons, medicine, and most importantly female survivors, it also meant the testosterone in the camp was manageable. If more women weren’t brought back, the situation would probably deteriorate quickly. Without more women, Elijah’s control and visions of the future were doomed. She hoped the men never came back and no women were found.

  Women were the most precious commodity in this bleak world. Elijah needed them to birth his chosen race and ensure that his vision of the future came true. Mere sexism didn’t come close to describing his teachings or acts—the camp had erased all memories of equality and women’s rights. She and the other women were living in a manmade hell, and yet some of them had embraced their slavery and even gone as far as praising his chauvinism.

  Being a lesbian and feminist only made the situation a million times worse. It could only be a matter of time until her outright refusal to marry someone would be questioned. Her fate balanced on a double-edged sword. Elijah hadn’t paired her off yet because he wanted her for himself. The sun disappeared behind a cloud, shrouding everything in a cool shadowy blanket. She ignored the irrational thought that perhaps Elijah’s cruel Lord God was watching her.

  “I need to get us out of here,” she whispered, hugging her chilled arms.

  Chapter Four

  Alex scanned the undergrowth through the scope. She’d passed through the area a while back, being extra careful not to leave an obvious trail. It appeared to have worked. She saw nothing ominous on the horizon, and yet her mind and body refused to calm down.

  She altered the scope to give her a better vantage point of the distant road she’d travelled for hours. It was relatively flat and stretched out for many miles, which was a blessing, as now she could easily spot if someone was following her. The road remained deserted. Even if Dave appeared he’d be at least six hours away. Only the long queue of unmoving cars lined both lanes. She’d passed the scene of what had once been a major traffic accident. With no emergency services to help the unlucky passengers or to clear the road, many of the cars she’d passed had been deserted, with their owners choosing to risk a journey on foot carrying only what they could manage. She passed different-sized mounds of loose soil on the grassy verges. Some graves were marked with a plain cross made crudely out of sticks, others had weathered paper but the ink was completely faded, some had nothing, but more often than not, they had personal effects: photos, wallets, jewellery, and more stuffed toys than she could bear to remember.

  Streets, roads, and motorways near each village, town, or city remained deadlocked. Cars had become hearses in their own right, holding deceased individuals and families while queuing in a macabre static traffic jam. Alex did her best to give them a wid
e berth. The Red Death had been unstoppable and picked up pace all of a sudden when the scariest word was finally announced: airborne.

  Basic survival instincts for fight or flight, which had aided in self-preservation since the dawn of human existence, were now useless. There was nowhere to escape to and nowhere to hide. And yet all of the morbid traffic jams that she’d passed while travelling suggested sheer desperation and fear had ruled over rationality. Most passengers had died in their cars, unable to turn back and too weak or sick to attempt to make it on foot. Some cars were deserted, and the bodies of those who had tried to flee on foot were scattered along the grassy banks and concrete pavements.

  Alex felt pity and grief for them all, but could no longer bring herself to look at their faces. She’d seen enough death to haunt her mind and heart until the day she died. With each passing day, she was gradually becoming more hardened and desensitized, but without it she’d go insane. Relatively safe, she should have felt relieved, but felt anything but. She’d been scoping the area with hypervigilance for over an hour trying to appease her paranoia. It hadn’t worked. Her body and mind remained primed for an imminent attack.

  Sighing, she glanced around for the puppy. It seemed the thing had decided to desert her now that it was safely away from the town. “I was nothing more than a glorified carry case. Great,” she said bitterly. Although she’d tried to convince herself that she’d get rid of the puppy as soon as possible, she’d secretly hoped they might remain together for a little longer. It’d been nice to have company and feel the warm comfort of another living thing. “I knew I should’ve left it behind. Ungrateful little sod.” She sighed miserably and stood. “I hope it gets eaten by something with lots of sharp teeth.”