"What are you doing?" Connor asks as Crowley kneels in the dirt at my feet. He looks up into my face, eyes bright and clear.
"Darlin, what happened back there, it's unexplainable. But it changes nothing." His hand rests on my knee, massaging it gently. It's then I realise I haven't even put my pants on. Fuck sake.
"Guys, that freaked me out. But that's not the problem, I just need to go. I have to get back to Old Yella." Standing I pace back and forth in front of the white Campo. "I've been gone too long. The bugs will have moved in or these new bloody Panda!" Suddenly I can't breathe, the world spins around me.
"Sit doll, before you fall." Gentle hands guide me to the benches. Sitting next to me, Charlie wraps his arms around me.
"Fucking freaky. Pretty sure I saw him wink at you, Kay. What the fuck was that?" Connor’s pacing where I’d just worn a path on the ground.
"I've never seen anything like it. I've been doing missions outside of TC for years, never heard a Z talk before." Crowley keeps running his hand through his short hair. "One held me by the arms from behind while another sniffed my neck. Didn't even attempt to bite me," he continues.
Oh, the world has gone crazy. Panda who don't bite, but talk and demand we leave? What fresh hell is this? "What does it mean?" I ask no one in particular.
Crowley answers me, his face as rigid as stone. "We go to the city tomorrow, first light. Pack up everything and leave. We need to take this info to Doc." At his words, the guys move around in a flurry. While I sit there, I come up with a plan. While they’re distracted, I take the opportunity to slip away.
I casually walk into the room I slept in, grab my things and put on my pants, almost falling over as I pull them over my boots. I take my device out of its hiding place under the rags on the bed, putting it in the side pocket of the bag I took earlier. Then the water skin I came with and the food I stashed from last night. I want my things back; I want my home too. I need the normalcy I've grown used to. Zipping it up, I slip it on my back and slowly walk from the Campo. I guess the guys think I'm just preparing to leave because they pay me no mind as I slip out of camp and climb over the wires between the trees.
As soon as I'm clear of the woods, I break into a run. A sharp whistle brings Baby to my side. Pounding the earth, his huge paws rip into the ground, sending a cloud of dust and dirt into the air behind us. I have to get away. There are so many reasons like what's happening between the four of us. My attraction to the three of them is growing. I can't handle it. I figured out I'm attracted to them pretty quickly. Each has something about them I find myself wanting to keep. Charlie with his sweetness, he's got the kindest soul I’ve ever been around. Crowley with his no fucks to give attitude but I think he’s secretly a good guy too. Connor, he’s really sweet in a roundabout way. He isn’t at all what I first thought he was. But it's not enough to make me go with them to Tri-City.
Baby peels away from me as I pick up speed, no doubt off to hunt for food to eat when we get back home. My legs pumping under me, I run faster than I've ever been able to. My feet eat up the distance quickly. The wind rushes past my ears, and it's only then I remember I don't have my wig! Shit. I skid to a stop at the side of the motorway where Connor and I were attacked by Panda. Removing the skin from my pack, I pour some water onto the dirt and use my hand to create a gooey mess of mud.
I scoop up two generous handfuls and spread it over my hair. I have nothing to tie it with, so I tuck it into the back of my t-shirt and wipe my hands on my pants. Just as I replace the bag on my back, Baby joins my side. His large body presses against me almost knocking me over, his mouth empty. I'm sure I'll be able to find something once we’re home. He pushes against me harder. "What is it boy?" I swivel my head but see nothing. So, I climb onto the first car, its roof hasn't rotted through yet. My head itches like crazy, by the time I'm home it'll be blistered. Shit. What a dick you are, Kayla! How could you forget your wig?
On my knees, the metal beneath me dips a little, the noise quiet. Finally, a break. Looking in every direction all I see are empty shells of vehicles, no sign of people or Panda. Sniffing the air, I don't even smell death. All clear. Sliding back down the roof my feet hit the dirt silently. "Come on boy. Time to go home." I skirt around the lines of cars and make it to the other side without incident. Baby cuts through and prowls down the opposite side. We make great time and don't even run into any Panda the whole way back home.
As we approach the bus, we move on silent feet. I've been gone two nights, who knows what’s in this area now. Pushing my body flat against the wall, I shimmy towards Old Yella. Just as I get to the edge of the wall, Baby uses his body to pin me against it.
What the…? Looking down at my dog, lion, I cock my head to the side in question. His golden eyes show no fear or anger, only sadness shines in them. Why is he sad? I blink and by the time my eyes are fully open he’s peeled away from me, heading back the way we came. Huh? Where’s he going?
The area must be clear, otherwise Baby wouldn't leave me like this. Right? I press myself back against the wall, having leaned forward a little when Baby took off running. My body's instinct to follow him is strong . No! I must get back home, get my weapons and resume my search for Masters. I’m going to end this, soon. I peek one eye around the corner of the building at my back, the scene before me makes my blood run cold. Panda. Lots of them.
I snatch my head back, the wall behind me seems to move and the ground spins. Shit. Shit. Shit. Around twenty Panda surround my bus. The katana on my back scrapes against the bricks as I peek my head around the side again, doing a quick scan of the area. I'm horrified to find way more Panda than I originally thought. At least thirty, their dirty torn clothes stark against the yellow metal. But that's not what scares the shit out of me. No. It's the single Panda that’s crouched atop my home that sends ice through my whole body.
Pulling back my breathing picks up. If they spot me, I'm as good as dead. I can’t fight that many at once, not by myself. For the first time in my life, I find myself wishing I had someone at my side. Another body to have my back. Did Baby not smell these fuckers? If so, why did he abandon me? Mother fucker!
An idea pops into my head as I scrape across the wall and back around to the front of the building, slipping inside its blackness. There are only a few window frames on the back of it facing Old Yella. Making my decision to find one, I silently move further into the building.
Climbing up the solid stairs, I make my way up into what was once a post office. At least that's what all the barely readable signs say. I wonder if my Hogwarts letter got stuck here? It's dark as I move through the building. My destination? One of the frames that’s highest above my home. Luckily, I know this building well. Bombs didn't hit directly in this area, but the shock waves sure did a number here. The ensuing years took their toll, making the climb precarious. Chunks of ceiling and interior walls are scattered around the steps. One wrong move and I'll either fall down them or break my ankle at best.
Running down the narrow walkway, the window frame within sight, I crouch to my knees then lay my belly flat to the floor. I crawl the rest of the way. Once there, I poke my head above the window frame, just my eyes and forehead, and look out. The Panda are shuffling around, the one on top of the bus looking down at them. It's the same guy from the woods. The Panda who told us to leave. Shit. What’s he doing here? And why’s he on my bloody bus?
I turn and let myself slide to the floor, the bare brick wall scratching my back. Unable to comprehend what’s happening, I just sit staring down the hall. The dirty wooden floor is littered with chunks of the roof, bits of wood and other debris. The fact that a Panda could talk was in itself mind-boggling and now, trying to come up with an explanation as to how this specific Panda ended up where I live, is making my head hurt. My face scrunches up in thought as I go over the possible explanations.
Perhaps, it’s a coincidence? They could just be moving through the wastes. They happened upon this area and thought it looked like a
good place to stop. Do Panda need rest? Of course, I know what they eat. Flesh. But they wouldn't find any around here.
I've called my bus home for years now. I don't know how many because the passage of time means little out here. I don’t keep track. But I know this area like the backs of my hands. It’s like a small town within the city limits. Its streets filled with half-standing buildings that have been picked clean long before I was born, all the buildings empty or burnt out. Smaller than those structures still standing closer to the city's centre.
I've never seen any wildlife, not even rats. So, they won't be finding anything to chew on here. Finally standing; I stretch out my now aching body and move into a room next to the window. Removing the pack on my back I drop it to the floor and unlace my blade, propping it against the back wall. There’s no window frame here, but from the position of the sun on the way in, I'd say it's close to evening.
My mum would tell me about the different seasons when I was little. Explaining that there were once more than just the two types of weather we get now, below freezing or blistering heat. She tried her best to explain milder weather, but my young mind couldn't grasp the concept. I hadn't ever known it to be cool during the day unless snow was on the ground. And today is no different, the sun's heat makes the room stiflingly hot. But I lean over and close the door behind me anyway.
It won’t stop a Panda, but it makes me feel better. Leaning my back against the wall behind me, I have no ideas for going forward. I hadn't even thought about what I’d do if I couldn't carry on with my life as normal. I assumed once I got home things would continue like before. I let out a sigh. Fucked up, that's what this is. Picking up my backpack I slide down the smooth but dirty wall, my arse landing softly on the floor. If I wait long enough, maybe they'll leave?
Opening the metal zip of my bag I check my supplies. One full skin, the other half empty. It'll last me a day but that's all. The heat will dehydrate me quickly in here. Two plastic tubs of leftovers from the guys' camp, meats and Tates in one. Rolls and seeds in the other. Couple days, that's all the supplies I've got. Fuck, I hope those rotten fuckers leave before then. Everything I hold dear to me is in that bus. Even if I can't call it home ever again, I want my things.
It quickly gets dark. No window means I can't tell what part of the day it is. My device is in my side pocket. Pulling it out, I place it beside me and lay my head on the bag. Hot, hungry and thirsty, I might as well try to get some sleep. I have a feeling I'll be here for a while.
The ground’s hard against my body. After only one night, I already miss the mattress. I press the button on the side of my device and its screen comes to life. The light’s bright, making my eyes close. I struggle to get them back open, all that running has really taken it out of me. A journey which should’ve taken me two days, I managed in one. Huh. Not bad Kayla.
I blink against my will. This time losing the battle. Having navigated the device many times, I find the music part without opening my eyes and press play. The only singer on it fills the silence. Placing it under my head so only I can hear it, my body begins to relax. The singer asks the same question over and over again in my ear. I fall asleep wondering, what does he mean? Thoughts of the guys fill my mind. Charlie's face materialises, and I fall asleep staring into his brown eyes.
What feels like seconds later, I wake in absolute agony. I try to move but can’t. A heavy weight presses me into the floor and dust in the air catches in my throat. I cough, trying to clear my airway only to find myself unable to stop. My lungs burn and my throat’s raw.
What the fuck? It's too dark to see. I slowly and painfully bring my arm up, pulling my device from under my head. I press the button, so the screen lights up, the music is still playing when I point it around trying to find out why I hurt. My other arm’s stuck, I can't pull it free.
Turning the device away from me I assess my situation, and panic rolls through me. Shit. The roof’s collapsed on top of me! As the singer asks if we can be friends, I realise I’m completely trapped under the heavy boards on top of me. I can't move my left leg at all, it's pinned under something so heavy I no longer feel my foot, the circulation’s cut off.
A large piece of wood across my stomach digs deep into my body. I see no blood, but it hurts like a mother fucker. Barely able to get a good breath through the pressure and dust, my head swims. How am I going to get out of this? With my free arm, I try to push the debris off me, but it doesn't budge an inch. It's then the panic really sets in. I'm going to die here.
I know better than to call out, but as I lay there, dizzy, thirsty and hungry, the basic instinct of survival kicks in. I scream, "Help! Oh please." Coughing, I twist my head to the side and spit bits of god knows what from my mouth. Barely enough saliva there to clear it, I gag. "Help me!" I can’t make my voice loud enough. Even if there were people around, they wouldn't hear me. My throat’s raw. I hurt everywhere. Tears leak from my eyes as I realise it's useless to shout for help, nobody’s coming for me. This is how I die. My grave, a small room in a building abandoned long ago.
Darkness rolls over my vision as my sight’s slowly taken over by unconsciousness. My breathing’s becoming slower, shallower. The end’s near, I feel it. The cold from the floor seeps into my skin, making me shiver. Connor, Crowley and Charlie. Shit. It dawns on me. I like them. All three of them. A connection I can't describe or put a name to sparked from the second I laid eyes on each of them.
Connor and his whiny personality that morphed into a strong fun one. Crowley with his grumpiness, but he's sweet and caring. The book he gave me is stuffed into my bag, safe. Charlie, my broken Charlie. His sweet heart calls to me like I wouldn't have thought possible. The scars on his chest left him with more than just the visible ones. I want to be with them all, like… romantically. A relationship. Shit. I left them because I didn’t want to go to Tri-City. I tried to fool myself into thinking it was because I didn't like them when really… I do. Why am I so broken? I want to fight the darkness rolling over me. Instead, I finally let my eyes close and darkness takes me.
Panda Alpha
Looking down the side of the large yellow metal thing I can't remember the name of, my brethren amble around on the ground below me. Memories surface in flashes. My name was Chris. I had a female; her name escapes me. Two smaller versions of me, their names whisper too softly. I can't catch them as they whizz through my mind.
I remember being chased, surrounded by white. Something evil was behind me and I had to get away. Then… nothing but utter rage. I’d woken in the dirt, my face in something foul smelling, anger rolling through my veins. I had pushed off the ground and attacked the closest person. That female now stood below me, milky eyes unfocused, blood streaks across her face. I don't know what her name is, but now she follows me wherever I go. They all do.
The others, they’re different. Or am I different? All I know is I have this overwhelming desire to protect those beneath me. I have to find peace for us all. I know exactly how to achieve that, I think. My mind’s fuzzy. I fight against fits of rage, the need to feed stronger than anything. But I battle against it, even though it's difficult. I'm no longer human, that much is clear from the hunger inside of me.
I don't know when, because time no longer has any meaning, but I met a woman. It wasn't long ago; I know that much. Her scent is still fresh in my mind. The one and only time I haven’t wanted to tear into a human. Her long light hair had drawn me from afar. Watching her from the edge of a clearing between the trees, something about her called to the human in me. I wanted to make her mine. Unfortunately, she had three companions with her, three males.
I ordered the Panda below me to close in on two of them when they separated from her. I’d been working to get the others to follow simple instructions. Some did better than others, the milkier their eyes were, the harder I had to work to tame them. I let them go when she stood in front of her men.
She put herself in jeopardy from my people and I didn’t want to hurt her so
, we left. As I looked into her eyes my own became clear, the fog lifting. She was mine; I just knew it. I followed her scent with the others trailing after me. She travelled around a lot so finding the place she stayed for any period of time was hard.
When we arrived at the place where my female’s scent had been the strongest, I’d taken the opportunity to look at myself in some glass inside this thing. What I saw both frightened and amazed me at the same time.
The skin around my eyes and lips is black, not in perfect circles but as if paint was splashed there. The edges uneven, like a mask across my face. The rest of my skin is pale white. Not as much as the others, but paler than the humans we’d come across. I wanted to save them all, but my family had to feed. The only ones I had saved up to now were my female and her mates. But I had a plan, once I got rid of the other three, she would be mine.
The sky gets dark. My followers are getting restless. Dropping from the roof I pull open the… I forget what it's called, letting them all enter the metal box. They'll lay on the floor, huddled together. We don't need to sleep so they’ll lay there, unmoving. I have yet to sleep since I woke up like this. I feel different, not how I remember feeling, but close. Slower maybe. Hungry.
Locking the thing behind me, my head snaps up at the sound of a muffled shout. It sounded like… my female? My feet are moving faster than ever before as I run towards the building across from the yellow box. Her scent’s all over this area, fumbling through the dark trying to smell her feels impossible. Must find her. As I enter the building, my eyes adjust as I go, I catch a fresh scent. Blood. The beast in me roars to the roof.
Blaze Page 9