Sanctuary

by Blake Brown

  ​Grunt spent most of his time following around Bryce, rarely venturing off to visit the others. Bryce noticed that even though it had only been a few days since he found the dog, Grunt was looking much healthier and gaining a lot of strength back, as well as seeming happier by the day.

  ​They decided to assign living quarters to everyone, that way people had a place to relax and make their own. Bryce kept the bedroom in the cabin where him and Grunt would sleep and set up shop. Byark set up a tent in the yard, saying that he felt more at home in the outdoors and that he would see any threats coming from a mile away, even in his sleep. Randy and Nathan took one of the RV’s as their own, while Alejandro and Matt took the other, and the three females set up in the trailer.

  ​It had been four days since the group arrived at the cabin, and they hadn’t seen or heard any infected or other living people, which gave Bryce hope for the future. One thing Bryce was not so confident about on the other hand, was the fact that most of their group had come to see him as their leader, given the fact that he had rescued them and brought them back here. He didn’t relish the thought of being responsible for all their lives, but it seemed that he no longer had much of a say in the matter.

  ***

  ​Around noon on the fifth day at the cabin, Bryce decided it was about time to give himself a small break and take the time to relax. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked out onto the cabin porch with Grunt in tow. Cracking the beer open, he took a long gulp, while simultaneously petting his companion’s head and staring out into the woods surrounding their little sanctuary. Matt walked onto the porch after a minute or two, not making eye contact with Bryce, and Bryce assumed the boy would just walk by without acknowledging him like usual. He was pleasantly surprised however, when the boy stopped and stood next to him, beginning to pet Grunt as well. “Mind if we talk for a minute?” Matt said quietly, his gaze fixed on the ground.

  ​“Not at all, what’s on your mind?” Bryce responded, looking over at the boy who still adverted his gaze.

  ​Matt took a few seconds to build up his nerves before starting. “I spent the past few days hating you for killing my dad.” He began bluntly. “Me and Sarah have been talking about it a lot though and I realize now that you didn’t kill him. That fucking thing that bit him did.” Matt took a few seconds, giving Bryce the chance to respond. When Bryce didn’t, Matt continued. “You saved all of us back in Roseville, and then you saved me again when you yanked me off that tailgate and held me back from going to my dad. You put him out of his misery and brought all of us here, to a place that might be safe, that we might be able to call home one day, and in return, I punched you and despised you.” Matt took a pause to stop the tears from pouring out onto his face. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry and that I hope we can be cool.” He finished.

  ​Bryce took a few seconds to let the words sink in. “You don’t have to apologize man, even though you do punch like a fucking MMA fighter. That shit hurt.” Bryce said with a smile, lightly punching Matt in the shoulder.

  ​Matt let out a laugh and wiped the tears from his eyes, finally turning to make eye contact with Bryce for the first time in days. “You’re a good man.” He said with a smile.

  ​“So are you.” Bryce responded quickly, giving a firm grasp to Matt’s shoulder.

  ​“God it’s all so fucked now, the whole world is fucked.” Matt said.

  ​“Not all of it. We’re alive, all of us, and we’re together. We’re going to beat this fucked up world and those evil fucking things together. Just need to have a little hope.” Bryce consoled the younger man, not sure if he actually believed what he was saying. “Wait here a sec.” Bryce downed the rest of his beer then went inside to grab two more. When he came back out, he handed one of the beers to Matt.

  ​“Thanks.” Matt said in surprise, opening the beer and taking a swig.

  ​“If anyone asks, I’m saying you told me you were 21.” Bryce said with a sarcastic grin.

  ​Matt laughed and expelled some of the brew from his mouth. They then stood there in silence for a few moments. “Got any plans for the day?”

  ​“I was thinking about just staying right here for a while and enjoying the view with a few beers. Want to join me?” Bryce responded.

  ​“Yeah, that sounds good.” Matt said before taking another gulp of his beer. The two of them sat there for a few hours, sharing a few beers and light conversation, but mostly, they just enjoyed the view and a peaceful day.

  ***

  ​The following morning, Bryce decided to make a list of everyone’s firearms and hand out cleaning kits and ammo, that way it would be each person’s individual responsibility to maintain and clean their firearm. Byark refused to use a gun, saying that he preferred the old ways of combat, but everyone else either wanted their guns assigned as their own or wanted a gun in general since they didn’t have one yet. Bryce wrote on the list that he would be keeping his BAR and the .45 he got from his father’s body, Nathan was assigned one of the two, remaining 9mm’s, Randy was assigned one of the Mossberg 12 gauges, Alejandro would keep the other Mossberg and 9mm, Lauren was to keep the Glock, Matt seemed to actually have some firearm experience and once he showed Bryce that he knew how to use and maintain the weapon he was given the .38 special, Sarah and Tara requested a gun as well to which Bryce told Tara she was still too young and asked Sarah if she had any experience using firearms. Sarah said she had only been shooting once with her uncle so Bryce told her that he would take her out into the woods to learn how to properly use the Remington rifle in a few days and that if she got it down, he would assign her the weapon. She didn’t argue and understood when Bryce joked that they couldn’t afford any friendly fire casualties. After all of that, he put the .357 and the Remington into a closet in the cabin with the ammo and cleaning kits for them and told everyone that’s where they would be in case of an emergency, which was the only reason Sarah would be allowed to access the weapons for now.

  ***

  ​After Bryce was finished with the weapon assignments, it was still early in the morning, and Byark approached him, fully armed and wearing his chainmail. “I think it’s about time we celebrate our new home with a party.” Byark said.

  ​“Oh yeah, what do you have in mind?” Bryce asked.

  ​“We already have the liquor and the people, there’s only one other thing a good party needs.” Byark said with a devilish grin.

  ​“And what’s that?” Bryce said, humoring the man.

  ​“Fresh Meat!” Byark yelled with a hearty laugh, slapping Bryce on the shoulder. “We’re going hunting my boy.”

  ​“Alright, let me grab my gear and I’ll meet you at the gate in ten.” Bryce responded with a smile, genuinely enthused by the other man’s excitement.

  ​“Very good.” Byark said, turning to walk away.

  ​Bryce walked back into the cabin, arming himself and packing everything they would need into his pack. He then made his way towards the gate, seeing an excited Byark waiting for him. “We’re going hunting, hold down the fort while we’re away.” Bryce called out to Alejandro as he slid open the chain-link gate.

  ​“You got it brother.” Alejandro replied, looking up from the hood of the Navigator.

  ​The two men left the cabin grounds, cutting through the woods and eventually making their way to a stream. The older man leapt over the slow-moving body of water as if he were a professional athlete. Bryce on the other hand, took a little more time to cross, realizing he was going to have to work hard to keep up with his companion.

  ​“Hold up.” Bryce called out as he stumbled upon a large bed of edible mushrooms. He pulled out a zip lock, freezer bag from his pack and began stuffing them inside.

  ​“Ah, those will make a fine addition to our meat.” Byark said.

  ​“Exactly.” Bryce replied. He stuffed the almost full bag of mushrooms back into his pack as they started to move again, leaving over half of the mushroom b
ed behind for the animals.

  ​After thirty minutes of hiking through the forest, Bryce spotted a squirrel bounding through the trees and tapped Byark on the shoulder. “Leave him be friend, he’s a young soul and the animal we seek has a much greater bounty of meat.” Byark said. Even though Bryce loved animals and wasn’t one to just hunt anything, he felt reluctance and surprise at the other man’s suggestion to pass up good meat in a time like this. He did, however, admire the older man’s confidence. It was as if Byark knew for a fact they would find the animal he was hunting for, like he was being guided by some force.

  ​They eventually approached a small clearing, and before they broke through the tree line, Byark raised an arm, stopping Bryce’s advance. Byark knelt, pushing aside some fallen leaves. “See this?” Byark asked, pointing to a few hoof prints in the wet mud.

  ​“Fresh buck tracks. It’s a big one by the looks of it too.” Bryce responded.

  ​“And the hunt is on.” Byark said quietly, showing his excitement but also keeping his voice down so that the nearby animal wouldn’t hear him.

  ​They cautiously made their way around the clearing, not wanting to enter the open and be spotted. When they reached the other side, they noticed that the tracks continued, and they followed them for about half a mile before approaching the rear of the buck as it sipped from a small stream. They quietly circled around to the animal’s side from a short distance away and Bryce raised his rifle to take aim. Byark turned to him and mouthed the words “too loud” before pulling out his bow and stringing an arrow. Bryce lowered his rifle and watched as the other man lined up a precise shot. Byark loosed the arrow, sinking it into the side of the animal’s chest cavity. The buck let out a groan of pain as it fell to its side. They rushed over to see the animal making half-conscious gasps for air as little sprays of bloody spittle started to coat its snout. Byark pulled out his knife, which looked hand made with a sharp steel blade and a handle that appeared to be made from a different, unfortunate buck’s antler. “Thank you for your meat friend, do not be afraid, for your ancestor’s spirits will guide you home.” Byark said before plunging his knife into the animal’s heart, killing it instantly.

  ​Byark seemed to have a unique set of spiritual beliefs, and Bryce respected him for the words he offered and for the quick and merciful death he provided the animal. Byark cleaned his knife off before re-sheathing it in its handmade, leather holder. He then pulled out the arrow and cleaned it before putting it back in his quiver. “I did the hard work, now it’s your turn to do the gruesome work.” Byark said, ushering Bryce over.

  ​“Gee, thanks buddy.” Bryce said as he pulled out his knife and knelt next to the deer.

  ​“No problem my friend.” Byark said with a slight chuckle.

  ​Bryce plunged his knife into the buck’s under belly and slid it up towards the animal’s chest cavity, opening up the creature and releasing a rush of blood and all sorts of awful. He stabbed his knife into the ground and then reached in and scooped out all the innards they didn’t want. He then grabbed his knife again and cut out the heart and liver, placing them into two, separate zip lock baggies that he then threw into his pack. “Do you want to break it all down here, quarter it, or carry the whole thing back?” Bryce asked, wondering how they were going to get the animal all the way back to the cabin.

  ​“I say we just cut him in half, and each carry a side, it’ll help the blood drain. That is if you don’t mind getting a little blood on you.” Byark teased the already blood covered man.

  ​“Ha Ha.” Bryce mocked back before reaching into his bag and pulling out his hatchet to do the dirty work. He then chopped the animal in half, breaking through the bone and tougher bits with the hatchet, and then cutting through the rest with his knife. He grabbed the front half of the animal by its rack and hefted it onto his back. “You can have the ass end, you asshole.” He joked.

  ​Byark opened his mouth to laugh when an infected shriek nearby silenced him. He turned to see one of the creatures moving through the woods behind them, its nose in the air, sniffing out the freshly killed animal. “Don’t worry, I got it.” Byark said, drawing his axe and starting towards the creature. It noticed him and cried out, rushing towards him in a feral rage. He slowed and waited for it to get closer, bending over and side stepping it as it reached him, and then swinging out with his axe, severing one of its legs. It slammed to the ground with the full force of its momentum, blood erupting out of its severed stump. It scrambled about on the ground, desperately trying to find purchase on its remaining limbs, looking as if it were an injured spider. It scrambled across the forest floor, heading back towards Byark, and he slammed the bottom of his boot into its face. He planted the creature’s head to the ground and then swung down with his axe, severing the top portion of its skull with a wet chop. He then put away his weapon and walked back over to Bryce, picking up the bottom half of the buck by its hind legs. “After you.”

  ***

  ​Everyone cheered as the two men entered the gate, excited to have fresh meat for the first time in weeks. Byark skinned the two halves of the buck, saying that he was going to stretch and tan the hide, something Bryce had no idea how to do. He then removed the rack, saying he could make tools or weapons with it. Byark appeared to want to use every part of the animal and to have the know-how to do so, much like the Native Americans, which Bryce appreciated. Lauren generously offered to clean their gear and clothing once they had the time to change and clean up, and the two of them graciously accepted. They wrapped much of the meat after breaking down the animal, putting it in the freezer for later use, and then decided to divvy up the different parts of the buck to be cooked in different ways, creating a multiple course meal with the meat from just one animal. Byark took the racks of ribs and built a fire next to his tent, wanting to cook them over the open flame. He seasoned them with some spices he found in the cabin and rubbed them down with BBQ sauce after they were done cooking. Bryce sliced up the heart and liver and grilled them in a skillet with various seasonings, sautéed mushrooms that he acquired from the forest, and a few splashes of A1 sauce. Lauren took a few cuts of meat and breaded and seasoned them before baking them in the oven.

  ​Pretty soon, everyone was sitting in the cabin and enjoying their meal as they drank and laughed. Everyone even chose to turn the other way as Matt and Sarah snuck away beers and shots of alcohol. As it grew later, the only sober one among them, Tara, grew tired and wanted to go to sleep. Bryce offered to take her to the trailer, but she refused, wanting to sleep near everyone else. Bryce brought her into his room in the cabin and tucked her into bed.

  ​“Can you stay with me? I don’t like being alone.” Tara asked as Bryce turned to leave the room. The image of his little sister, the sister that Tara reminded him of so much, popped into his head, and in his inebriated and raw emotional condition, he began to tear up.

  ​“Of course, buddy.” He said as he walked back to the bed and got under the covers, wrapping his arm around her.

  ***

  ​As the night drew later, everyone began to filter out of the cabin and head to their respective sleeping areas. Eventually, Byark, Lauren, and Grunt were the only ones that remained in the living room of the cabin, and Lauren got up to start cleaning up everyone’s mess. Byark stood and followed her to the sink, gently grabbing her arm to get her attention. “You don’t have to clean up after all of us you know? At least wait until the morning. Please sit and talk with me.” He said with a tone of sincerity once she turned to face him. She nodded and followed him back to the dining table. “How do you like our new home?” He asked as they sat down. She nodded and gave a thumbs up, as if to say she liked it. “Why don’t you ever talk?” Byark said a little more bluntly than he meant to, due to the alcohol.

  ​Lauren waited for a few moments, considering if she should grab something to write down her response with. “I don’t like my voice…” She decided to say.

  ​With the help of some good, ol
d fashioned, liquid courage, Byark decided to flirt with the beautiful woman in front of him. “I think your voice is beautiful, just like the rest of you, inside and out.”

  ​Lauren blushed. “How would I know though? I can’t hear it, and everyone says that just to be nice, because they pity the deaf girl.”

  ​“I don’t lie, and I don’t pity people. I’m not the best man in the world, I’ve hurt people and done bad things, but at least I can say that I’m honest. And anyone that would pity you is a fool, you’re gorgeous and strong, and take care of all of us. What’s there to pity? If anything, people should look up to you, I know I’m starting to.” Byark responded, reaching across the table and grabbing Lauren’s hand.

  ​She pulled away at first, an instinctual reaction, but when he began to slide his hand back towards himself, she reached back out and grabbed it. “Will you sleep in here with me tonight? Don’t take this the wrong way, I don’t want to do… anything, I just don’t want to be alone.” She said, pointing to one of the sleeping mats they pulled out of the trailer and put on the ground of the cabin’s living room.

  ​“Of course.” Byark said with a smile, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

  ***

  ​When Matt finally made his way to the RV, he found that Alejandro had accidentally locked the door. Not wanting to wake him, and not wanting to interrupt Randy and Nathan’s loud partying and yelling in the other RV, he walked over to the girls’ trailer and knocked. Sarah opened the door in her pajamas after a few moments. “What’s up?”

  ​“Alejandro accidentally locked me out of the RV, and I didn’t want to wake him up, is it cool if I crash in here tonight?” Matt responded.

  ​“Yeah, of course it is.” Sarah replied, moving out of the way and letting Matt walk in. He walked up to the couch and plopped down before resting his head in his hands, tired from how late it was and from being a little drunk.

  ​Sarah walked to the back of the trailer and sat down on the bed. “Lauren always lets Tara and me have the bed, and Tara’s sleeping in Bryce’s room, if you want to sleep here. It’s more comfortable than the fold out, and I don’t mind, really.”