Lukas was relieved that his wrath had been turned away. Every strike on his skin burned, and his head throbbed. The metallic taste of blood was in his mouth, and Lukas moved his tongue up to his teeth to see if any were missing. He found a jagged, rough spot on one of them — only chipped then.
Lukas hung his head and sagged against the ropes. They said he wasn’t human, but what about this Ray? He was an animal. Not a shred of rationality and kindness normally found in the human spirit existed in him.
Lukas opened his eyes. If this man was going to treat him like a beast, then maybe he should begin to act like one.
JESSY, autumn, 62 A. Z.
MARIA WAS LEFT to guard Lukas, while Ray and Greg went out hunting and Owen and Virgil worked on the horses. I was tired, so was happy enough to be left back to keep Maria company, but I was soon bored with nothing to do but watch my mother sit at the table in front of our captive. She was staring at the floor, looking like she was daydreaming or meditating, and from time to time she would mouth words silently.
I didn’t understand my mother. She was like a ghost — silent, mysterious, always moving away when I tried to approach her. Even now, when we were alone and had little to do, she tensed like a nervous horse when I sat next to her. Why? What had I ever done to her? Most mothers liked having their children nearby. Mine avoided conversation, and seemed apprehensive of me.
‘Maria?’ I asked. ‘Need anything?’
She sat quietly for a moment, then said, in almost a whisper, ‘No.’
Her muscles tensed, and I could sense her desire to get up and leave, but she was held by her duty to guard the prisoner.
A rush of fury and courage overtook me. ‘Look, I know you don’t like talking to me. And I don’t understand why. I wish you would tell me what I’ve done wrong.’ I felt my face go red. ‘Is something wrong with me? Why don’t you love me?’
Maria looked at her hands and I saw her lip quiver. I didn’t enjoy making her upset, but I needed an explanation. Again, ‘Why don’t you love me?’
Maria turned her beautiful face towards me. It carried all the sorrow in the world. She said just one word: ‘Ray.’
Then she looked away and stood up, moving to the Blue who sat quietly in the corner. She checked the ropes binding him, concentrating intently on her task. This was her signal that the conversation had ended. Her dainty hands traced the rope, testing the knots. Her dark eyes glowed with the lamplight and I wondered if I would ever know her, if she would ever open up enough to let me in.
ELLIOT, autumn, 62 A. Z.
WALKING IN THE carpet suit was easier than Elliot had expected. He had sewn it together with dozens of different squares of variable thicknesses to ensure that it was articulated enough to allow natural movement. He had also used heavy canvas around the joints, and he was pleased when he tested its flexibility. But it was ugly and heavy, and Katie had squealed with laughter when he had put it on.
‘It’s a good idea, but I can’t be seen in public with you when you’re wearing it,’ she joked.
Elliot laughed too, but he was concerned only that it would work against the gnashing teeth of the Corpses. It must surely be better than nothing.
It was late evening, and Katie and Elliot were walking towards the Gunslingers’ outpost in the darkness. The carpet suit made the going slow, and they continued to avoid encounters with the Deads by sticking to the high ridges and by moving as quietly as they could. Katie knew these rocks and gullies well enough that she could gauge which paths were safe and which ones might give trouble.
Elliot still felt like they didn’t need to be out there at all, saving a Blue that neither of them knew. It wasn’t necessary and it was too dangerous. And Elliot still found it hard not to feel resentful. Why was Katie choosing to help this stranger, rather than running away to somewhere they could both be safe? He knew he should respect Katie’s wishes, but it wasn’t easy.
Their plan was to get to the post, wait until everyone was asleep, then try to free the Gunslingers’ horses and let them run into the desert. They’d raise the alarm somehow, maybe by smacking a rock against one of the compound’s water barrels, and while the Gunslingers gave chase, Elliot and Katie would use the opportunity to sneak in and free the Blue.
The plan was far from foolproof, but neither Elliot nor Katie were fighters. Running in with a pistol drawn or machete swinging would be foolish — besides, Elliot was hardly agile in his carpet suit. The Gunslingers were trained killers and would have their weapons off them in an instant. Katie had tried to reassure him that their own strength was in the element of surprise and their ability to retreat. Her knowledge of the landscape would allow them to hide while the Gunslingers were still getting themselves organised after their horses were gone.
Nearing the outpost, they proceeded more slowly, slipping behind high brush and moving forward in low crouches. When they were a few metres from the fence near the horses, they backed into the brush and sat down to watch what was happening at the Gunslingers’ camp.
A man with a bald head came out of the building. He spat on the ground, sneered into the darkness, then went back inside. A little later, a teenage girl walked out to the horses and spent about half an hour nuzzling the neck of a large spotted horse. Elliot felt a pang of guilt, knowing their plan to set the horses free in a couple of hours. After she’d gone, a white-haired man came out and looked at a wound on a dark horse’s shoulder. He spoke softly to the beast and pressed his palm gently around the jagged wound, feeling for heat and infection. Elliot felt Katie tense next to him, and guessed this must be the Gunslinger who had spoken to her the night before. The Gunslinger spent a long time fussing over the other horses as well, before finally pulling a saddle blanket out onto the ground and sitting down.
Elliot heard Katie sigh. The Gunslinger must know they were there. Why wasn’t he sounding the alarm then? But the Gunslinger pulled his collar up and pulled his hands back into the sleeves of his jacket, as if to say, ‘I can out-wait you.’
Katie sighed again. They waited.
The teenage girl came back out and spoke to the white-haired man. They could hear every word clearly in the stillness.
‘What are you doing out here, Virgil?’ She looked relaxed, confident, a little bit wild and very different from Elliot’s own teenage sisters.
‘Sitting. Listening. Looking at the night,’ the Gunslinger said.
Probably listening to us too, Elliot thought, and hoped the man wouldn’t become a problem.
The girl contemplated him. ‘Mind if I join you?’
The Gunslinger pointed to the pile of saddle blankets. The girl picked one out and dropped down next to him.
‘Virgil, I’m not happy about taking the Blue to the City. Plus, he’s not even the guy we’re looking for. Ray is acting crazy! What’s he thinking? And the way he treated Owen makes me so angry. I don’t even know what we’re doing out here.’
Katie’s face was mostly obscured, but the moonlight was bright enough for Elliot to see how hesitant she looked. She must be thinking what I’m thinking — that this is all too much.
But Katie turned slightly, pursed her lips and shook her head as if to shake off her thoughts.
The Gunslinger’s voice came through the darkness, ‘It’s not really in our hands, is it, Jessy? It’s just a shame that we’re involved. This is not our business.’
‘But what can we do? Ray doesn’t listen to anyone.’
‘We wait, Jessy. We try to survive and, when the moment comes, we make a decision that is honourable and one we can live with. You understand this.’ His last sentence was a statement, not a question.
‘Yeah, I suppose. I’d like to do something though.’ She stood to leave. ‘Are you going to stay out here tonight?’
‘I need to think. Maybe the night will give me some ideas.’
Jessy handed Virgil her saddle blanket and walked back to the shack. Virgil settled himself in, wrapped in the dark, as still as one of the nearby rock
s.
Elliot could feel Katie turn to look at him. He put out his hand, looking for hers, and she found it with her small, cold fingers. She pulled herself to him and pressed her lips to his ear, whispering, ‘This guy wants us to help him.’
Elliot squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.
‘I don’t understand it,’ she said. ‘How does he even know we’re here?’
Elliot wanted to speak, to tell her that it wasn’t too late. They could quietly retreat back into the dark and then run for their lives. There was still time to live happily ever after. But already Katie was pulling herself away. Elliot clung to her hand. She gave it another quick squeeze as if to say, ‘It’s okay,’ then carefully crept to the edge of their hiding place.
‘Virgil?’ she called softly.
The Gunslinger’s body was motionless, his head low, but he replied, ‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘I don’t want anyone to get hurt,’ Katie said, a slight warning in her voice.
‘No, ma’am, me neither.’ The Gunslinger was so motionless that anyone in the shack who might have looked out would think he was asleep. And though the night was still, the shack was far enough away for it to be nearly impossible to hear Katie and the Gunslinger’s whispered voices.
‘Can you release the Blue secretly?’ Katie asked,
‘He’s guarded pretty well in there,’ Virgil replied. ‘Tomorrow we’re leaving for the City. So it’s best we think of something before then. We need to make an opportunity.’
Katie nodded, understanding where Virgil was leading. ‘Okay, so we create a diversion and you set the Blue free?’
‘That’s the best I can come up with. Probably best done at dawn. We need to get Ray, the boss, and his tag-along, Greg, out of the shack. Keep them occupied long enough for the Blue to get out. Then it’s up to you all to run.’
Elliot watched Katie run her hands through her hair as she took in the implications of their change of plan. This Gunslinger, at least, was going to help them. He felt his heart start to race.
‘Okay, Virgil. That’s how we’ll do it. I trust you. I don’t know why, but I do. There will be a diversion over by those tanks at dawn. Make sure the Blue gets freed, and direct him around to the back of the shack, where there’ll be a small hole in the rear fence. We’ll go from there.’
Virgil stood, nonchalantly dusted the sand from his legs and placed the saddle blankets back on the pile. ‘Okay,’ he said. He then turned to the horse gear and unclipped a metal bit from a bridle, pulled a girth off a saddle and made a few more modifications to the equipment. Elliot saw that the Gunslinger was buying them time for tomorrow. All of these changes would take time to fix when the Gunslingers tried to gear up their horses for the pursuit. Elliot didn’t know this man Virgil, but he was grateful.
LUKAS, autumn, 62 A. Z.
LUKAS HAD BEEN dreaming about Zhee. She was standing in a field of grass, surrounded by sunlight, and she was smiling proudly about something she had made. She motioned for him to come over and look. Lukas walked towards her eagerly. As he did so, the sky darkened and clouds covered the sun. The ground shrivelled as he walked, each step he made causing the grass to wilt and die. He heard the menacing sound of thunder in the distance, slamming the heavens with wind and energy. He was horrified and embarrassed. Zhee would see he was bringing destruction if he got any closer, so he froze where he was.
She beckoned him again, confused by his delay in coming to her. Lukas didn’t know what to do. If she saw what he really was, she wouldn’t love him anymore. He stood, torn, his heart breaking with the decision he had to make, when Zhee looked at him and said with intensity in her dark eyes, ‘Lukas, wake up. It’s time to go.’
Lukas was confused.
Again she said, this time with panic in her voice, ‘Hurry! It’s time!’
Lukas opened his eyes to see Owen staring at him with his finger across his lips, signalling him to be quiet. He was smiling, but his forehead was furrowed in concentration. ‘Time to get up, buddy. You’re making your escape.’
Lukas was still confused, but he didn’t pause to question what was happening. The ropes binding him were gone, and Owen had a window open.
‘There’s a small hole at the base of the fence near the big cactus. Crawl through it and run towards the shrubs. Someone will be waiting for you. Here, take your pack with you. Be safe, big guy.’
Owen helped heave Lukas through the window, but there was no sign of him when Lukas looked back to nod his thanks. Smoke was rising up from somewhere in front of the building, and Lukas could hear shouting and commotion from the other Gunslingers. He didn’t stop to ponder it, and ducked down low and headed for the fence. His legs were impossibly stiff from having been tied to the chair and his mind was still trying to wake up, but instinct made Lukas run.
The hole was small, but he managed to get through by slithering on his belly, hauling his backpack after him with his one good arm. He pulled himself up awkwardly and dashed towards the brush. He had no idea who or what was waiting for him.
ELLIOT, autumn, 62 A. Z.
ELLIOT WAITED, HUNKERED in the bushes, sweating in his carpet armour as morning’s light gently brushed the landscape. The first he knew their plan had been set into action was the sound of a loud ‘CRACK!’ followed by a heavy ‘BOOM!’ A black cloud rose from within the compound and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. He heard shouts, and the horses’ panicked whinnies as they broke free of their ties and ran mindlessly from the fire within the compound.
A moment later, a tall, dishevelled figure emerged from the fence-line and came sprinting towards the bushes. He looked slightly off balance, but Elliot immediately saw it wasn’t because of his legs, but rather because he was missing his left arm. With the other, he was clutching a small, brightly coloured pack.
The man had the same dusky skin colour as Katie. This was the Blue they were after. He looked disoriented now that he was free of the bushes, so Elliot whistled, and the Blue changed his course and ran towards the sound. Then Elliot stood, showing himself clearly, and a look of confusion crossed the Blue’s face — whether from the sight of another human or the carpet armour, he wasn’t sure. But Elliot motioned for him to follow, and the two of them were off and running for their lives.
With the smoke of the fire behind them, they moved at a good pace, weaving through the desert brush and sage, heading towards the cliffs. With the adrenaline coursing through his veins and the promise of safety so close, Elliot found the heaviness of his carpet suit more bearable than he had thought and he pushed himself on. When the ground became clearer, and he didn’t have to concentrate as hard on his footing, Elliot chanced a look at the Blue, and was astounded by the strange sight he made: extremely tall, dark shaggy hair, almost-violet skin, metal-coloured eyes and only one arm. The Blue smiled at him.
That smile struck a chord in Elliot. All the time he’d been secretly resenting this stranger. He knew it was selfish, yet he couldn’t help but feel hurt that Katie had chosen to stay and help an unknown man, rather than run off to safety with him. But now, seeing the Blue’s appreciative smile, Elliot understood. They couldn’t sacrifice another person for their own joy. This was the noble thing to do.
They’d been running for about twenty minutes when they got to the base of the rocks and continued to jog along parallel with the cliff’s steep face. They passed a Corpse, but luckily it was so dried and mummified from the desert heat that it was too slow to create any real threat.
Elliot was overheating in his heavy suit and was starting to feel sick when, at last, he saw the rope ladder that Katie and he had set up in the night. Hastily ripping off the carpet armour, Elliot looked back at the Blue.
‘Okay, let’s climb.’
KATIE, autumn, 62 A. Z.
ONE OF THE advantages of having your own library is having manuals on how to do most things. When I raided the various bookstores many years ago, I made sure to grab a few books on survival. They were probably written by some
militant weirdos waiting for the end of the world. Well, gauging from their paranoid style of writing and emphasis on self-sufficiency, they probably did pretty well when the apocalypse did indeed come.
As for me, I have always been a bit of a pyromaniac. Not the kind that starts forest fires or does anything deviant, but I do admit that I probably used to take too much pleasure lighting firecrackers when I was a kid. So I guess that’s why I found myself searching through my books for anything that would help me make a big ‘BOOM!’ or for instructions on how to make something like a large firecracker. I wasn’t disappointed.
Elliot carried a pack, and our box of mischief-and-mayhem materials, and I carried a large bag of dried food and a bladder of water on my back. Laden with the supplies for our plan, we picked our way back towards the Gunslingers’ run-down outpost. I’m pretty sneaky when I want to be, so it wasn’t a problem planting my explosive in a barrel within their compound. Actually, I just entered through the hole I had cut in the fence for the Blue to escape through. Then I crept my way around to the front, placed my package, and doused the nearby vegetation with gasoline. All it needed was a match, which I carried in my pocket, ready for dawn’s first light.
Next we backtracked to the rock faces on the cliffs, and dropped down a rope ladder. There was a cave about two-thirds of the way up, obscured by a sturdy little plant and by the natural shape of the cave’s entry. It was impossible to see from ground level. We placed a week’s worth of water and food in the cave, a couple of books, blankets and a pack of cards. The plan was for Elliot to get the Blue to the cave and I’d join them later. Then we’d wait out the Gunslingers.
And everything went as we intended: my bomb went off, causing all the chaos I’d hoped for. The Gunslingers were distracted, and the Blue escaped and made it to Elliot, who dutifully got him to the rope ladder. Then there was a problem.
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