Alive Like Us

by Hallows, Quinn

  What’s a matter, Sanna? Can’t come out and plaaaaay? The voice slid into her thoughts like a dagger.

  That Infected—could it be the physical manifestation of the voice? Sanna lunged forward, but Kai blocked her path. “This isn’t our fight.”

  She dodged him, vaulting onto the fallen tree and sprinting across. Kai called after her, but she kept going, determined to face the monster that had killed her grandfather and destroyed her home.

  She paused on top of the bank, scanning the forest. She spotted the kid weaving through the trees up ahead, using the trunks as split-second shields from the Infected as every child in Erling learned to do. The creature hounded after him, forging a wide swath through the snow.

  “Sanna!” Kai shouted from the other side of the creek. “Don’t!”

  “I have to try,” she whispered to herself, thinking of her grandfather’s burning corpse. The bodies littering Erling’s streets. She followed the Infected’s path. If she was fast enough; she might even save the child. Or at least shorten his misery.

  She spotted the boy cowering at the base of a small ravine. An ancient tree clung to the ledge above him, its gnarled roots forming a prison.

  The Infected neared him, globs of saliva dripping from its mouth. Its spine was twisted, and the skin that stretched over those jagged ridges was a dull, ashen gray.

  Sanna shrugged off her pack jumped onto the monster, burying her axe into its spine. He spun, throwing her off. She recovered, slipping the dagger from her boot. Her heart raced. Power flooded her veins, heady and wonderful.

  The Infected lowered its head, ready to charge. Black blood oozed down his back and torso in a dark, liquid cape. A pus-filled crater festered below his cheekbone—the original point of infection. His eye sockets were covered in thick, rust-colored scales and behind them, Sanna could see the shadow of his sightless eyeballs rolling.

  She stepped back, a twig snapping beneath her boot.

  He bared his teeth and shot a thin stream of venom in the air. She dove and the caustic liquid sizzled on the ground where she once stood, forever scarring the earth beneath it.

  Rocks skittered as the boy scrabbled up the ravine.

  The stage two swung to the boy.

  Now was her chance. It would be minutes before the monster produced more venom. Sanna held her breath and snuck towards him. She had to get close enough to destroy his brain. Almost there...

  She leapt onto the monster’s back again. He rolled, dragging her beneath him. His weight crushed her into the icy mud, pinning her dagger to the ground. She braced her hands on his fat shoulders and the vision of a blood-spattered man with a crazed smile flashed in her mind. The Infected’s lips parted and hundreds of razor-sharp teeth crowded his leech-like mouth.

  Did you really think you could escape me? Every step just brings you closer, no matter what direction you take. The insidious voice shattered her thoughts as the stage two’s mouth descended lower and lower, his rancid breath bathing her skin

  She gathered her strength, gritting her teeth. A ragged cry ripped from her throat as she shoved his massive body. He shifted—slightly—but that was all she needed.

  Her arm was free.

  She flipped the dagger and rammed it deep into the stage two’s eager mouth, far enough to sever his spinal cord. He twitched once, twice, and collapsed with a moan. She wriggled out from under him and flopped onto the snow, gasping for breath. It’s over. It’s all over.

  The boy appeared; the lower half of his face bundled in a scarf. A large birthmark covered his left eye, and a scar started from his temple, stretched across the bridge of his nose, and disappeared into the dirty red wool. “Did it get you?”

  “No.”

  The boy’s brow furrowed. He took a step back, studying her.

  “At least,” Sanna stood, dusting the snow and dirt from her pants. “I don’t think so.”

  “Then that...was...awesome!” the boy crowed, punching the air with his fists. “I haven’t seen anyone take out a stage two like that before.”

  Sanna studied the Infected slumped in a widening pool of blood. She thought it was pretty awesome herself. A clean kill. Ivan Iron Tooth would have given her a hearty slap on the back for that one. She could almost hear his gravelly, basement-deep voice. That’s it, Sanna! That’s my girl! “I guess I learned from the best.”

  “Really? Who taught you?”

  “My grandfather. Where are your parents?”

  He kicked at a lump of snow, scattering it. “I ain’t got any.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Always.”

  Sanna smiled. “Me too.”

  Frankie barked in the distance, and Kai’s clean scent wafted in the air. He’d be here soon. She’d have to give the kid something before he forbade it.

  “Okay then,” she found her pack nearby and rifled through Zane’s stuff. “Let’s see ...we’ve got...an apple?” She held one out with a flourish and froze.

  Infected. Another one. Right behind me. Why hadn’t she sensed it sooner?

  A dark shape jumped from the ravine and rushed towards them. The boy shrieked, ducking behind her. Sanna dropped the apple and grabbed for the axe at her hip. It was still embedded in the stage two. Dammit.

  “Get down!” Kai shouted from behind.

  Sanna tackled the boy. He fought her like a demon, kicking and scratching. He even tried to bite her until she got him tucked tight to her chest, his arms restrained.

  An arrow whizzed past them and sank deep into the stage one’s forehead. He fell to his knees, joining his brethren.

  “Dammit, Sanna.” Kai stormed over. “You could have been killed.”

  “You’re right, that was close.” Sanna pushed the child away, whose unwashed stink reminded her of body odor and mice.

  “Close?” Kai fumed as she rose. “Is this a game to you?”

  “I heard the voice. I thought that stage two might be the source,” she brushed past him and retrieved her axe and dagger, wiping them clean in the snow.

  “Was it?” Kai asked.

  “I doubt it. He was too easy to kill.” She spied the apple on the ground and grabbed it, looking for the boy. He was crouched under the tree again, gripping his pocketknife with a shaking hand while Frankie glared at him, growling.

  “Frankie!” She rushed over. “Bad dog! Leave him be.”

  Frankie shot her a worried glance then slinked over to Kai’s side, his ears pinned to his skull.

  She held out the apple to the boy. “Come on, it’s okay.”

  The boy studied her for a moment, then lowered his knife. He emerged from his hiding place, his clothes and face even dirtier than before, and reached for the shiny red fruit.

  But snatched her backpack instead.

  Before Sanna could react, he disappeared into the forest, along with half their precious supplies. After everything she’d done for the brat, this is how he repaid her?

  She raced after him, so intent on teaching him a lesson, that she barely noticed the primitive stick figures hanging from the trees. Zane had warned them to stay clear of the totems and the witch they represented, but Sanna wasn’t about to let that boy get away.

  A glimpse of his filthy black sweatshirt lit a fire within her and the distance between them shrunk. He took a sharp left, and she followed, hounding him.

  “Stop you little jerk! There’s no way you can outrun me!” Sanna reached for the back of his hood, but her boot caught on something—a wire stretched between two pines. She tripped to a chorus of hidden bells chiming all around her, loud enough to wake the dead. Or a witch.

  Sanna stilled, fear icing her veins. What now?

  “Murray, wake up,” A weaselly voice man said nearby. “Did you hear that? We caught one. The boss is gonna be so happy!”

  Boots squeaked through the snow. Her nose twitched as the stench of male sweat and something else—a sweet cloying odor—filled the air.

  Sanna ducked behind a tree. She caught Kai’s ga
ze as he approached and pressed a finger to her lips. He crouched low and waved for her to come.

  “It’s too late for that, friend,” the weasel man said. “We got you both surrounded, and no amount of your puny arrows is going to make a difference.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Zzzzzzzzip. The massive pine trees closest to Sanna and Kai shivered from top to bottom. Two figures emerged from the lowest branches, dressed in gray and white fatigues with bulbous goggles over their eyes. They looked like people in the old photos Sanna once found in her basement, from the early days when everyone thought the virus was airborne. One of them pointed a gun at them, while the other unhooked their climbing harnesses.

  “Drop your weapons and come out,” the weasel man ordered.

  Sanna removed the axe from her belt, and Kai shrugged off his bow and arrows. They stepped out from behind the tree, their palms raised. Two more men were waiting for them, dressed in the same strange outfit as the others. One was short and fat, while the other was tall and thin. The taller one stood with his back curved and shoulders slumped, as if he were carrying an invisible burden. A rotten odor emanated from him. An illness of some sort.

  She’d take him out first.

  “Look out!” Kai slammed into her just as a loud, metallic snap echoed through the trees. Huge iron jaws jutted through the snow where she’d almost stepped.

  A bear trap? She might be able to heal some injuries—but that could’ve cost her a whole leg. Male laughter erupted all around her.

  Sanna gritted her teeth, rage coursing through her like liquid fire. She wanted nothing more than to rip their throats out. “You people are crazy. What do you want with us anyway?”

  The little man pushed up his goggles to wipe his eyes, then paused. “Merrick? Is that you?” He slapped his leg. “Well, I’ll be damned. Cerise is gonna be happy to see you again.”

  Cerise. Sanna tensed. This was the cult Zane had warned them about. And they remembered Kai.

  The tall one took a drunken step towards them. Sanna covered her nose as the stench grew worse.

  “Stay still, Murray,” the little man said. “No need for you to stress yourself.”

  “I’ve got cash,” Kai said. “I can buy our passage.”

  “We ain’t in the escort business no more. Our new boss has certain,” the little man’s beady gaze shifted to Sanna, “appetites.”

  “C’mon, Don,” another soldier whined. “Quit fooling around. Let’s bag em’ and go.”

  Kai shifted so his back was to her. “What happened to Cerise?”

  “She serves him too,” Don said. “We all made a little agreement, you see. We give him what he wants and in exchange, he taught us how to keep the virus dormant. For real. No more fake potions.”

  “You mean you have a cure?” Kai said, stunned. “A real one?”

  “That’s right,” Don stroked his chin. “Now I remember—you’ve got an unclean sister, don’t you, Merrick? Well, well, well. Don’t we have a surprise for you. The new boss promised to give it to Murray here,” he shook the tall man’s bicep. “Just as soon as we get back.”

  “He’s lying,” Sanna said. “Don’t listen to him.”

  Murray coughed, a watery wheeze that would strike fear in Haven’s heart. He doubled over and spat out a fleshy clot the size of an egg.

  Don shook his head. “See, this is why I told Cerise to send someone else. You’re not feeling up to it, are you bud?”

  Murray shoved his ski mask up with fumbling fingers, and the scent of rotting flowers grew so strong Sanna gagged. His face was pocked-marked and had the lumpy quality of a man who’d lost too many fights. Blood flowed from his nose down his chin and neck.

  “This ain’t good, Don,” one of the men muttered as Murray slowly lifted his ski mask to his nose.

  “Give me that!” Don snatched the mask from Murray and mopped the blood himself. Black veins inched up Don's neck like tiny worms.

  He was about to turn; Sanna was certain of it. All he needed was a push.

  “Okay now, you know you can’t take this off again, right?” Don shook the ski mask in front of him. “Cerise has rules about these things.”

  “We should get out of here,” the soldier next to Sanna said as he scanned the trees. “It’s almost dark.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? This will be all of us one day.” Don turned to Murray, who stared ahead. Vacant. “What? Are you waiting for me to grow taller? Kneel down, you idiot, so I can put this on you. And you two,” Don glared at the men flanking Sanna and Kai. “What are you waiting for? Tie them up! We ain’t got all day here.”

  Sanna focused on the bleary-eyed giant while the men closed in. Let go. Let go. Let go.

  Don shoved the mask over Murray’s lolling head. A greasy hank of hair came off in the process, still connected to the scalp. Don held it up, his eyes widening in horror. “Geez, Murray, how far gone are you, anyway?”

  Murray lifted his head. His yellow eyes found Sanna and she knew the answer.

  Far enough.

  CHAOS HAD ALWAYS BEEN a friend of Kai’s.

  It had once been his job to create it, usually by lighting the Inferno’s signature fires in as many places as possible before a raid. Later, he’d embed homemade bombs into village walls. It bred confusion, which created opportunity for those who were ready.

  He sensed Sanna stiffen behind him and saw the giant—Murray—lose his fight with the infection. Kai wasn’t, however, prepared for the oaf’s newfound speed.

  Murray lunged at the boss, tearing a hunk of flesh from his short neck. The man screamed, his limbs flailing as Murray rooted through the meat and tendons of his throat. Red splattered the snow. The two men near Kai and Sanna swung their weapons towards the grisly scene and gunshots rang through the trees.

  Kai took his chance. He slipped the dagger from his boot and jabbed it into the chest of the closest soldier. The man stumbled back and stared at the stain spreading over his shirt. Kai maneuvered behind him and cut his throat, finishing the job. He pried the gun from the dead man’s fingers. It was out of bullets.

  More shots rang out. The wet, sloppy sounds of Murray’s eager feasting stopped. Both he and his victim were tangled in a heap, their blood and brains splashed across the snow in a macabre halo.

  “Drop it,” The only man still standing pointed his gun at Kai

  “You first.” Kai aimed his useless gun at him, praying his bravado would be enough.

  “C’mon, Merrick,” the man drawled. “I know you’re out of bullets. Travis was always a crap shot. So, why don’t you both drop all your weapons, before I get bored and shoot.”

  “I thought you wanted us alive,” Sanna said.

  “The boss won’t care if you’re breathing,” the man purred. He squeezed the trigger.

  Crack! Sanna screamed. Kai ducked but it was too late. A fire burrowed deep into his shoulder. He gripped the wound, blood seeping through his fingers. Flesh thudded against flesh. More shots rang out, then the smoking barrel of a pistol stared down at him.

  “Drop it, girl, or I swear to God I’ll blow his brains out!”

  “Kill him and you’re worse than dead.”

  “I’ve already got a clock that’s ticking.”

  Sanna’s pale form flickered at the edge of Kai’s vision. He saw two of her, then one that was fuzzy. He blinked, and the image sharpened. Her gaze was steely. She let the axe slip from her fingers.

  The man spun to him. “Get up Merrick! You ain’t dead. Yet.”

  Kai dragged his feet beneath him, rising with a grimace. Sanna sucked in a sharp breath. He didn’t want her to see him like this. His head rolled forward. A red sleeve of blood poured down his arm. Dark clouds encroached on his vision. No. I have to...stay conscious.

  “You! Tie him,” the man barked to Sanna. “Cerise is gonna be happy to see you, Merrick. I wouldn’t trade places with you for all the money in New Hope.”

  Sanna took the rope. Her complexion was a ghost
ly pallor, and her touch was icy on his wrists. She tied them behind his back, then wrapped something tight around his wounded shoulder. “Hang on, okay? We’ll—"

  A shot rang out. She sagged against him. Kai spun around and instinctively tried to catch her as she slumped to the ground, forgetting his hands were bound.

  He sank beside her. “Sanna, look at me.”

  A shadow of blood was spreading across her stomach. Would she survive this? Not if that bastard found out she was different. He’d cut off her head in a heartbeat. Kai was sure of it. He had to distract him.

  Kai lunged and knocked the guy to the ground. The man’s head bounced off a rock and a thin rivulet of blood streamed down his temple. Kai wished it was worse. Far worse.

  The man rammed his gun in Kai’s direction, his hand shaking. “D-don’t try anything, Merrick.” he glanced over Kai’s shoulder, “she’s good as dead anyway.”

  “Don’t look at her.”

  “F-fine. Maybe I’ll come back for the scraps, once the Infected are done with her.” He wetted his lips and stood, confident once again. “C’mon now, we’d better get moving.

  Kai plucked at the knot on his wrist. “It’s a long way to Cerise’s camp, right?”

  “Shut it, Merrick. I heard all about your tricks.” The man jerked his head towards a well-worn path in the snow.

  Kai resisted the urge to look back at Sanna, to see if she’d begun to heal, but he didn't want to raise the other man’s suspicions. They passed a totem hanging from a low branch—a crude man constructed from twigs and leaves and bound together with braided human hair. A sign of Cerise.

  They were getting closer. The path was leading him straight into a hell that he’d escaped once but was unlikely to do so again. He had to make a break for it, but his body felt leaden from the blood loss and his shoulder burned. His thoughts softened, melding into a stream of barest consciousness, until there was nothing at all.