by J. Axbridge
“On the table are all the weapons I’ve found, take what you need and can carry, don’t go overboard though. Remember you have to carry this stuff a long ways.” Jax said, before heading outside with handguns strapped to his side, leaving me glowing as I slid my jeans and shirt on over the Zip Coat then headed to the table full of weapons. As I approached, I was shocked to see the assortment of weapons he’d laid out. There were ancient looking swords, possibly from the civil war era, guns of all shapes and sizes, hunting knives, spears, crossbows. His parents had a whole arsenal within the very walls of this house.
After picking up a few items and testing how they actually felt holding them, I realized I missed the comfort of my aluminum bat. I knew how to swing it and loved how it felt gripped tightly in my hands, so I decided that was my ideal weapon of choice. About to walk away from the table I spotted a large shotgun, about the same size as my bat that had a body strap attached to carry it easily. That’s Perfect, I thought and slid the gun over my body and swung it around so it rested on my back. I stepped away, adjusting the body strap when I noticed Arthur picking through a few swords and guns while the twins simply looked at the smaller items like survival knives. Ethan on the other hand decided to go with a spear; he said it was perfect for hunting and protection if he needed it. He was trying to convince me that it was way more useful than a bat or gun, especially if we had to survive by fishing and hunting for our food. I suppose he had a point but I was sticking with what I’d chosen. Mayumi was the last to approach the table and look around at the weapons before her; I didn’t notice her grab anything but knowing her she probably already had what she needed to survive out in the world, being a Huntra and all.
Exiting through what was left of the front door that Mayumi had so fiercely kicked in; we filed out into the cool day to an impatient Jax who nervously paced while keeping an eye on the tree line for any unwanted guests. Once everyone was outside, Jax marched back to the door and with dismay, looked in. Leaving the house in shambles he shook his head, then without hesitation pulled the door shut tightly, locked it and led the group of us away. We’d officially started our long and undoubtedly treacherous hike to Misquah Hills to find this Elder Wolf who hopefully had answers about pretty much - everything.
Chapter 18 - Red Eyes
Adelaide
The first week of the hike was uneventful. The seven of us headed west and although we’d had our share of cuts, bruises and scratches, we made it to the outskirts of what was once a bustling Chicago which clearly didn’t fare very well in the storms. Standing on a newly formed mountain of earth we looked down into a city that was not even a shadow of its former glorious self; what was left of the downtown seemed to sit mostly under deep waters where meteorites had hit, and the rest of the city had been decimated by the aftermath of fires. It was a nightmarish scene to say the least, one you’d see in an apocalyptic movie, not in real life with your own two eyes.
To our left, the immediate west, were large, deep crater pockets formed from what looked like the impacts of hundreds if not thousands of meteorites. Some craters so large and deep that they formed small lakes of their own which dotted the new landscape and to me looked similar to moon craters full of water. A little north of those was what appeared to be a giant lake or newly formed river?
It sort of feels as if the city has been purposely targeted by meteorites, I thought but dismissed the theory quickly, that was something Arthur would have come up with, not me and I wasn’t giving into the, “It’s the aliens that attacked us,” mindset.
Even though the city had been thoroughly devastated, a handful of buildings somehow survived and protruded from the waters of a newly west extending Lake Michigan, none unscathed except for one half submerged sky scraper in the distance. The meteoroid showers had totally and completely destroyed the area which left us with only two choices of travel. One was to maneuver north through what was left of the outskirts of the City of Chicago to get to our destination of Misqua Hills in Minnesota. Our second choice would be to go west around the possibly never ending newly formed lake until we found some way to continue north once again.
“This isn’t going to be easy!” Jax surveyed the paths that lied ahead of us, first looking north in thought, then to our west and then back north again.
We knew we were still weeks away from the Elder Wolf’s supposed location and needed to pick up our pace, plus with food running low, each of us having only a couple power bars, nuts and a few sweet snacks left, I was leaning towards going the faster route through the city. Water on the other hand was not an issue; being surrounded by so many fresh inland lakes including Lake Michigan immediately to our east, we had more than enough to drink on our journey so far, it just needed boiling to kill the bacteria, parasites and whatever else the storm threw into it, making sure it was safe for us to drink.
Of course I understood heading into the ruined city areas wouldn’t be easy, but in my heart I believed we could make it through what was left of Chicago; we’d made it this far without any major injuries after all. We’d traveled along paths that were once major highways including the remnants of Interstate-94 which was now mostly unrecognizable. The once grand interstate highway had been turned into a mixture of craters, burned and smashed vehicles, crumbled buildings, twisted metal and mounds of ashes and charred remains of who knows what that somehow ended up near or on what was left of the road itself.
Then there were the unending crater holes and new mountainous regions created from the striking meteorites that we had to climb up and down almost daily where large patches of road once existed. We’d also crossed numerous new rivers and streams that were now reshaping the whole landscape of the Midwest. It was surreal to say the least but we had no choice but to test our limits if we wanted to survive. Yes, it was very tiring, even exhausting at times but with that experience we’d developed a variety of useful skills, the most important being teamwork.
Taking a break for rest, food and needed rehydration Mayumi, Jax and I took the time to discuss which route would be the best and safest for our group to travel down.
“I vote we go north,” Jax stated without doubt, “There’s a clear path that runs by the city that’s not covered in water yet. Plus we need to get to the Elder ASAP, no more messing around and it’s the logical choice . . . If you can see, there’s a water line starting to our west and Lake Michigan sits to our east,” Jax pointed out the obvious trying to solidify his decision. “If we try west who knows how long it would us take to go around that body of water, it looks massive. Have a look,” Jax handed his binoculars to Mayumi.
Searching west Mayumi agreed she saw no end to the newly formed lake. Looking north she followed an artery through the edge of the city, upon zooming in nearer to see what we’d have to go through Mayumi shook her head in dismay. “We would have to maneuver through a giant maze of dangerous debris and uneven, crumbling earth if we go north. I do not believe it is a smart idea Jax.” She lifted the binoculars, surveying the land even further ahead in even more scrutinizing detail. “If we go north, you are right . . . it may be faster but who knows what we will run into from downed overpasses to the C.O.Ns. We cannot see beyond that pile of waste a couple miles ahead, it could just be flooded like the rest of this area. Honestly, it is only a very narrow alleyway that turns into a strip of raised land and Chicago or what is left of it, is still a really large land area to cross, water or not,” Mayumi set down the binoculars and unfolded her map neatly on the ground for everyone to view.
“See . . . , this would be at least a 20 mile trek through a narrow corridor. So for me, a trained tracker, going west around the water does not sound too bad and it is definitely safer. We will be able to see if anyone is coming at us from all directions. Besides, we need to start heading in that direction anyway to get to Minnesota.” She slid her left index finger across the map west, then north on up to Minnesota and The Superior Forest, tapping the map hard.
“But Yu, it’s only been a we
ek since we’ve left Jax’s home and we’ve already accumulated too many bumps, scrapes and bruises,” I was determined to go with my gut on this decision and my gut said north. “Remember we only have limited walking time in the daylight and we need to start making more progress, not to mention we’re running low on food. Going west will only slow us down even more.” I was not giving an inch. I did not want to sound pushy but I wanted to travel north through the city and get this journey over with as soon as possible. Of course I realized it may be risky but it would be just as risky wandering around a lake that could take us miles and days out of our way.
“Listen up everyone,” I addressed our group. “Going north through the city may pose some problems, Yu is absolutely right. The path she was just talking about may get narrower or even come to an end. If it did, we’d waste more time back tracking. Plus it could be the perfect place for someone to ambush us. That is if there’s anyone left out there. So . . . drum roll please. Let’s vote, should we head north and take our chances with the quicker, albeit confined route or head west and hope the new lake isn’t too wide so we don’t waste a week or more walking around it and possible using up more of our limited food rations?”
“Hold on Addie,” Jax walked over holding up his hands in protest . . . “There is not going to be a vote, not today and not on this issue.” Jax said as Mayumi’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry Mayumi, Addie is right on this one. We’ve already wasted too much time getting here and I don’t want to waste any more. I’ve gone up ahead a ways and it seems OK. When I checked the west route the water just kept on going and I couldn’t see an end. We simply need to start covering ground faster . . . That being the case; I think we have no choice but to go north through what’s left of Chicago and face whatever may or may not be out there, we just don’t know. But to keep things as safe as possible, I’ll take the lead in werewolf form, checking ahead before daylight and then we move out together after I return. This way we’ll have an idea at least of how safe it is and what, if anything is ahead of us.”
“What if you don’t come back Jax?” Asked Caelyn, as Victoria fidgeted uneasily by her side. “We’d be on our own again and I don’t want that.”
“I’ll come back . . . Of course in the small chance that I don’t . . . then do not go that way, be smart, turn around and get off the main path as soon as possible. DO NOT go looking for me . . . got it!” Jax said sniffing the air, then looking up into the thick cloud covered sky. “Rain is coming.” He said gruffly.
The second darkness was barreling down on us and began to overwhelm our surroundings; quickly we set up our tents against rather large chunks of cement road that leaned sideways for safety, strategically placing them furthest from the rotting debris and scattered dead animals and bodies as we could. We’d found that the closer we came to big cities, the more death we came across in large grotesque groupings, at times the stench so putrid it was hard to keep our eyes open and focused.
Mayumi and Arthur were chosen to do first watch, they sat atop a huge block of cement road at least fifteen feet in the air, its steel rods sticking even further out reaching towards the heavens. The wind coming off Lake Michigan was bitter and brisk as it blew into Mayumi’s and Arthur’s faces, producing a fine mist that began to whip around, which although cool, was a welcomed change to the rotting smells we’d been enduring. Shivering, I watched Mayumi and Arthur scoot closer to each other to keep warm, pulling a single sleeping bag up to their chins. When would Jax and I have a moment like that, I wondered as I sat looking out at the never ending darkness of Lake Michigan willing myself to relax before going into my tent for a well deserved and needed rest.
Exhaustion taking over my sore body rather quickly, I laid down in my tent with my eyes closed listening to Mayumi in the distance.
“I love the smell of fresh lake water. It reminds me of when I was a little girl, sitting near Lake Biwa in Otsu, Japan on cool spring evenings . . . My parents would take us Cherry Blossom viewing at night, lanterns were hung so intricately in the Cheery Blossom Trees that they looked like they were floating, casting enchanted shadows on everyone and everything. We would sit on a blue plastic tarp, cool to the touch under the trees and my parents would open an expensive bottle of sake and let us each take sips. If the wind blew even slightly the beautiful cherry blossom petals would float down like giant slow moving snowflakes, it was so magical . . . What I would not do to have a drink of sake right now under those cherry blossoms,” Mayumi said, taking a deep calming breath.
“Sake?” I heard Arthur ask quizzically.
“Yes . . . Sake . . . Rice Wine. Japanese people love it, especially warm sake on cool nights; it is very delicious and warms your body to a tingle.”
“Maybe someday we’ll have a chance to try it together,” Arthur said, trying to sound casual, but I could hear the nervousness in his voice and smiled as I felt sleep tugging at my tired soul.
“Yes, that would be nice . . . but Arthur . . . aren’t you a little young for drinking sake,” Mayumi replied with a soft snicker.
That’s enough eavesdropping for me tonight, I thought. I didn’t want to intrude on their “private moment” any longer and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t stay awake. Of course if this wasn’t an apocalypse and my best friend and Arthur were flirting like that with each other I’d definitely put a stop to it. But as things are now in this new world, having my best friend and Arthur together seemed to make them stronger in many ways and that was important. I knew it would be wrong of me to break up a growing attraction like that. Begrudgingly I pulled my sleeping bag over my eyes wondering when or if Jax and I would ever form a closer bond like my brother and Mayumi had, and then I fell into a deep restful sleep.
*****
For a few minutes it seemed we were in for a good-looking day as the first sun began rising under the strong cloud line to the east before quickly being swallowed up and turning to light showers, the daylight once again muted. Jax having gone out early to check the path ahead, returned with no news of trouble for the beginning of the long trek in front of our group.
It was just after 6am and the morning drizzle continued to pick up as we rolled up our tents and packed our gear. Finally when everyone was ready, we hit the path slightly ahead of schedule walking down a mountain of earth and debris and then into an alleyway of rubble and pooling mud before heading north towards what was once the bustling city of Chicago.
It turned out to be a dreary morning all around, the devastation and nothingness added to our displeasure and it was so quiet that the only sound heard besides the occasional crackle and snap below our feet was the hissing of the rain as it poured down around us.
“Even though Chicago was destroyed into basically nonexistence, it is much too quiet for such a large area. This does not feel right?” Mayumi said, breaking the ghostly silence.
“She’s right,” Jax stopped the group. “Listen,” he put his hand up for everyone to keep still and quiet.
Coming to a halt, we nervously checked our surroundings. The towering piles of wreckage and loss were creepy but definitely not something to be afraid of. And the only noises to be heard was our labored breathing mixed in with the now pelting rain that sounded like small pops on our raincoats.
“Why do I keep seeing ‘red eyes’ like that one, painted all over?” Ethan asked, lifting his poncho hood just enough to point at a large red eye painted on a lone wall of what looked to be a deli shop at one time.
Swiveling our heads, which had been glued mostly to the path we were on; we soon realized red eyes were painted wherever a flat surface was available. A side of a pizza joint miraculously still standing, patches of clear unobstructed road and even on the inside of large crater holes. They were all full of disturbing hand painted “red eyes.”
“Maybe it means someone’s watching us?” Victoria questioned hesitantly. “But why would they tell us we’re being watched?” she said as a detective would speak at a crime scene. “Caelyn, come on you’re
the brainiac puzzle solver. What’s going on?”
“Me? Don’t ask me, I have no clue. It’s freaking creepy though,” Caelyn pulled her orange poncho further over her face to block out the pouring rain.
“We do know someone is or has been here recently and these eyes may be a warning, so be ready for anything,” Arthur peered around the area. “They spent an awful lot of time to paint ‘eyes’ all over this place. And look there . . .” He pointed to a large patch of gray concrete that had a message sprawled on it, “‘Obey Hoary Law or Die!’ Forget the painted eyes; we need to obey some ‘Hoary’ law in these parts,” Arthur half laughed with nervousness, “Whatever the hell that means?”
Just then Jax returned from a quick peek ahead, transforming back into human form directly in front of me. Hearing his bones grind together and crunch into place and then seeing them contort stretching back to human form was a bit much for me to handle. Even under his skintight zip coat it wasn’t pleasant to watch as it eerily reminded me of when my mom would rip out the bones and take apart a rotisserie chicken she’d bought for dinner from the local warehouse club store.
“Really—Come on Jax, you had to do that right in front of me? Can’t you change back somewhere else, it’s really gross,” I winced, turning my head away even though he had already transformed back into his human form.
“Hey, you might be one too Addie, don’t forget that,” Arthur smirked, trying to agitate me like he’d always done since we were kids.
“LISTEN UP,” Jax shouted, “For the next mile or so it looks clear and we’re about half way through this place. Also we’re heading into some kind of ‘Law’ territory, as we head into the main downtown area. So be on the lookout and keep your weapons handy,” Jax patted his two guns lovingly that he had holstered snugly on the outside of his zip coat.
We continued on trudging slowly for two more hours until only dim light was left and our tired feet began to drag through the mud and sludge of the aftermath. After a group vote we decided to stop where we were for the night to rehydrate and check and clean our weapons before tucking in for another needed rest.