Alive Like Us

by Quinn Hallows

  Cerise was known for her natural medicines. Her clan was large and prosperous, roaming the Deadlands selling her potions and foraging for ingredients. Kai hadn’t seen anyone when he was hauled in. Prehaps they were out foraging for ingredients. Or something more sinster.

  His worn backpack was there as well, along with a few other satchels and saddlebags. Kai refused to wonder what happened to their owners.

  Time strenched into an eternity. The lush carpets and pillow felt luxurious to tired bones. His eyelids cracked open at the sounds of beads clicking to together. He must have fallen asleep.

  A large stomach poked through the beaded curtain covering a bedroom to the left of the candle. Pudgy hands reached into the room and swept back the beads, revealing a corpulent woman swathed entirely in expensive, glittering fabrics. A belt of silver rings encircled her bluging waist.

  “Well I’ll be. If it isn’t Kai Merrick,” The corners of the woman’s kohl-rimmed eyes crinkled—the only part of her face that was visible, the rest hidden behind a gauzy, glittering veil. “I couldn’t believe it when Jake told me he found you. Tell me, is that darling little sister of yours still with us?”

  “Yes, no thanks to you.”

  “Now, that wasn’t my fault. You stole the cure before I’d finished brewing it.” Cerise waddled over and grabbed a bushel of dried plants hanging above him. Kai held his breath, his eyes watering at the spicy scent.

  “I have to say, your reputation for hospitality is a bit...exaggerated.” Kai said, hoping to avoid the topic of Esme altogether. Cerise was probably still enraged by the theft. The woman was hardly known for her magnanimity.

  She flopped back onto the pillows, her fat, booted ankles bobbing in the air. “Yes, well, you’re on the wrong end of things, aren’t you, Merrick? If you were truly my guest, you would be practically drowning in hospitality.”

  “There’s cash sewn into the backpack. And there’s more where that came from too,” Kai lied.

  “Hmmmm,” she stroked her chin, the many rings on her fingers glimmering, “that is tempting but...I’m afraid I don’t make deals like that anymore.”

  “Why not?”

  “Jake must have told you already. We were blessed with a new leader. Someone who can cure the infection in all of us. All he asks for is a few sacrifices.”

  “Let me guess, you’ve never seen him, but you heard his voice one day. He made the Infected do something unusual, and now you’re certain he’s a god and are willing to do whatever he asks.”

  “Many of us have met him. The children. The mothers. The elderly.”

  And now they’re all missing. “Can’t you see he’s using you? There is no cure!”

  Cerise picked up a dried flower stem and pulled it through her pinched fingers. A flurry of seeds floated down into the bowl.

  Kai shot up, furious. In the far corner, metal scrapped as a hidden soldier unsheathed his sword. “You won’t get away with this. You can’t murder this many people without New Hope noticing!”

  Cerise snapped her fingers, and the soldier surged forward. Kai swiveled and ducked the blow meant for his head but caught one to his stomach. He gasped and sputtered on the floor like a landed fish.

  “I am kind, you know,” Cerise said as she loomed above him, her eyes glowing with rage. “I’ve given herbs to anyone who meets him to dull the pain. But I think it would do you good to suffer when you meet him. It might teach you some manners.”

  The soldier grabbed hold of Kai’s collar and tossed him out the door. He fell hard, his bare hands burning from the cold snow. But at least the air was fresh. Kai rolled over onto his back and inhaled deeply. The cloudless sky stretched above him, the same color as Sanna’s eyes.

  God, he hoped she was okay.

  Hands wedged under Kai’s armpits and lifted him up. The screen door opened behind him and Cerise’s husky voice silenced the commentary around him.

  “Tonight, we will present this sacrifice to our lord and he will cleanse the virus from our blood, once and for all!”

  Male cheers erupted all around him. Kai’s head suddenly felt impossibly heavy. And his thoughts started to blend together again. Had Cerise drugged him? Or maybe the concussion he got yesterday afternoon was worse than he thought.

  His eyelids sank down as if pulled by weights. His body felt leaden. He should be fighting back. He should be trying to escape. Around him the voices became louder, morphing into bloodcurdling screams. The acrid scent of burning hair filled his nostrils. Broken Creek...

  Maybe Cerise was right. Maybe he did deserve this.

  He was glad that Sanna wouldn’t be here to see it. He hoped she was still alive, somehow, safe and warm and far, far away.

  He was dragged across the snowy encampment, past a roaring bonfire, through a dense crowd of celebrants, and then dumped outside another trailer. There his tormentor—Jake, was it?—stood, swinging the familiar piece of coarse rope in his hands. He’d taken off his ski mask, revealing a broad forehead, large hooked nose and a chin that receded so much it reminded Kai of a turkey’s waddle.

  What had Sanna said to that man? I’m sure you never had the choice.

  Kai’s mouth lifted at the corners. He had to be losing it. That was the only logical reason he could be smiling right now, just at the memory of her words.

  Jake the Chinless bound his wrists and him dragged him back into his dark prison.

  SANNA AWOKE WITH A gasp. She was lying in the snow. The Infected swarmed around her, ravenous, and a shadowy figure that she knew was the voice watched, smirking.

  Something cold and wet pressed into her cheek. She jerked, ready to lash out, then froze. It was Frankie.

  She wasn’t outside. She was in a cave, on a pile of dried leaves and pine needles. She shifted into sitting position; her muscles stiff. The leaves rustled as Frankie plopped down beside her, whining. A small, dwindling fire glowed nearby, its orangey light splashing onto the stone walls. She looked down at her stomach. There was a blackened hole in her clothes and the fabric was stiff with dried blood. The wound had healed.

  Kai must’ve gotten free, killed the man with the gun and brought her here. She searched the cave for him and noticed a nest of blankets tucked against the opposite cave wall, ending in a dirty black hood. Wait—was this the kid who’d stolen from them?

  After all the trouble that brat had put them through, Kai had deigned to let him stay? She wasn’t surprised. He might come off as aloof and distant sometimes, but it was all an act. Especially when someone reminded him of his sister.

  She searched the cave for Kai. No luck. The sun was setting behind the dark silhouettes of the pines, painting the sky with streaks of rose and gold. Perhaps he’d gone out hunting.

  A spider’s web of string spread across the cave’s entrance, threaded with bits of metal and utensils. It was enough to cause a ruckus if anything happened to stumble through. Clever. Kai had never done that before. They usually took turns keeping watch, but maybe they both needed rest. The day before—the skirmish with those strange, brutal men, had certainly taken more out of her than she realized.

  She replayed yesterday’s events in her mind. Had she really made Murray turn? Or was it a lucky coincidence? Iris would know, and she’d meet her soon.

  Her foot caught on something and she fell forward, catching herself on the cave wall. A butcher’s knife sailed past her nose and clanged against the stone. Frankie ducked behind her, cowering.

  Booby traps? Just like the warning bells yesterday. That was a new one, too.

  The boy lurched from the covers with a high-pitched scream, slashing the air with his pocket-knife. He spotted her and immediately adjusted the scarf over his face. She caught the barest glimpse of it. His skin seemed dark and rough, as if he was burned. One of his shoulders was also higher than the other.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you,” Sanna said, carefully. “That trap nearly took off my nose.”

  “It should have killed you!”

  S
he blinked, stunned by the kid’s fury.

  “You have to protect yourself when you’re sleeping,” the kid jammed his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt and crossed over. “People can kill you if your guard isn’t up.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Sanna moved out of his way as he reset the trap. “Ah...what’s your name, anyways?”

  “Twig.” The boy was quick with his hands, and soon the knife was well hidden in the cave’s wall. He turned to Sanna, but kept his head bent. The lower half of his face was tightly covered by the scarf. “So, where were you and that other guy heading?”

  “I—we—are meeting a friend.”

  “Why?”

  “I guess,” Sanna hesitated, considering her words. “I’m...hoping she can help me understand what I’ve been going through lately. I’m Sanna, by the way.”

  “I know who you are. Is this friend like you, then?” A sharp keenness flashed in his eyes when Sanna nodded. “What’s her name?”

  “Iris.”

  “Iris,” Twig savored the name. “Where does she live? Is she close?”

  Sanna shrugged. “I don’t know. Kai’s the only one who’s seen her before. I wonder when he’ll be back...”

  “He won’t. He’s probably dead already.”

  Sanna turned to the strange boy, dread prickling her skin. “What are you talking about?”

  The boy shrugged. “The bad men took him.”

  “When?” Sanna gripped the boy’s shoulders. “Tell me.”

  “Don’t touch me! I don’t like to be touched!” The boy shrieked, ripping free. His hood slid down to his shoulders. Patches of coppery hair covered his skull. “Yesterday. The bad men left you behind, so I waited and brought you here. I saved you. Without me, the bullet would have poisoned you.”

  Sanna gasped. Kai’s been taken. By Cerise’s soldiers. How much time had past? She’d already wasted so much of it. She lurched towards the cave’s entrance. “I have to save him.”

  “You can’t!” Twig followed after her. “It’s a...a scary bad place! We should keep going, before the bad men find us!”

  “I never agreed to take you anywhere.”

  “You can’t leave me!” the boy whined. “The bad men will kill me for helping you!”

  Sanna gritted her teeth. Twig’s voice grated on her nerves. She reached the mouth of the cave. Night had fallen, and the trees were an army of giant shadows waiting in the dark. “I’m not leaving without him, and Iris won’t show herself to anyone else.”

  “So we,” Twig sniffled, dragging his sleeve under his nose, “need him?”

  “Yes.”

  Twig inhaled a deep breath and squared his small shoulders. “Okay. I can take you. They’re not that far.”

  “Wait, if you just tell me what direction you can stay—” Sanna began, but the boy took off. He was fast and agile, like a fawn bolting through the forest.

  Sanna followed, her stomach oddly hollow. She told herself it was her lack of weapons that made her uneasy. Not the boy’s strange, patchwork skull. Or that he hadn’t even asked about her wound.

  KAI PROWLED THE CONFINES of his metal prison. The place was empty except for an unlit cast iron stove. Port-hole windows ran along the walls, but they were too high for him to reach, and too small to fit through even if he could.

  And then there was the hatch above him—wide enough, sure—but it might as well be on Mars.

  Especially since his hands were still bound.

  Kai sat down near the entrance. As far as he could tell, there was one way out of this coffin, and it was that single locked door. If he could get his hands free, then maybe—just maybe—he’d have a chance to overpower whoever came through it.

  He wrestled against his bonds. The skin on his wrists was already raw with his previous attempts. Sweat beaded his brow and slid down his neck. He stopped, panting, when he felt the wound on his shoulder reopen and blood trickle, wet and warm, down his bicep.

  Dammit! Who would guessed Cerise’s goons would be so good at tying knots? Somewhere outside, a gong rang. Kai stiffened. Had the ceremony begun? Had his time already run out? God, how the minutes flew when one was the main course.

  A key rattled the door and it swung open. The same man who’d dragged him through the forest entered. Jake. That’s what Cerise had called him.

  Loathing burned inside Kai’s chest.

  “Comfortable?” Jake grinned, his weak chin melting.

  Kai looked away, remaining silent.

  Jake barked a laugh as the door whined shut. “You know, you could be nicer to me. Might do you some good.” He stalked towards him, armed with a pistol.

  An idea flashed in Kai’s mind. He stayed on the ground, waiting until Jake’s white boots stopped in front of him. “Did you go back for her? Was she there?”

  “The girl? She’s dead. The new boss got to her and had some fun, I guess.” Jake squatted down to Kai’s level, tutting. “A shame isn’t it? I would’ve liked some time with her as well...”

  Was he telling the truth? Had the voice—the man in the woods—finally caught her? Scenes of Sanna replayed in Kai’s mind: the determined gleam in her eyes whenever she entered a fight and her easy grin afterward, when she won. How could someone so strong, so brave, so vital be gone? And who could have done it?

  He glared into Jake’s leering, ugly face and knew the answer. Him.

  Kai moved fast, kicking Jake’s balls with as much force as he could muster. The man paled, his mouth gaping as he clutched his crotch and flopped to the side. Kai didn’t waste a moment. He kicked the gun out of Jake’s hand and landed another one to his nose. Blood spurted from the broken, reddened mess of tissue.

  Kai awkwardly reached for the knife attached to Jake’s belt. As his fingertips brushed the bone handle, Jake’s hands wrapped around his throat from behind and squeezed.

  “Idiot.” Jake sputtered and flecks of spit and blood sprayed Kai’s ear. “You’ll never get out.”

  Kai rocked his head back, hard, hitting his mouth. Black spots peppered his vision, but the arm around his throat loosened. He slipped the knife out of its sheath and flipped it up, sawing at the rope. The bonds loosened, slipping off. He rolled his wrists. A thousand needles pricked his skin as the blood flowed back to his hands.

  Jake groaned and sat up, wincing as he touched his nose. Kai grabbed the pistol and pointed it at him.

  “If you shoot me, everyone will hear. You’ll have the whole militia on you.”

  “Worth it.”

  Jake flung his arms in a sign of surrender. “I could get you out!”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “S-so what are you gonna do, then?” Jake kicked his feet against the floor, scooting away. “K-kill everyone? I’ve only g-got three bullets in there.”

  “Get up.”

  The gong rang again, startling Kai. Silver flashed in the dark. Jake lunged for him, a second knife clutched in his hand. Kai squeezed the trigger. Sparks flared and the bullet knocked Jake backward, into the wall. He slid down, leaving a smear of blood.

  Kai stood for a minute, stunned, then quickly checked the man’s pockets for cartridges. None. He grabbed the knife Jake had dropped and stuffed it into his boot before heading for the door.

  A cold numbness radiated through Kai, preparing him for the horror ahead. He wasn’t sorry he killed Jake. Far from it. And yet, it didn’t change the fact that Sanna was dead. No amount of bloodshed would.

  He crossed over to the door and flung it open, relishing the blast of frigid air on his bare skin. The sun had sunk low on the horizon, radiating a muted rainbow of color across the indigo sky.

  Sanna had taken his hand yesterday. He’d felt her warmth through the layers of wool and leather. He sensed that she cared for him. Maybe one day she could’ve loved him. Now she was dead. Gone.

  He looked out onto the encampment. Cerise had already sacrificed most of her people, but those who remained would likely be zealots and scrambling for their wea
pons. They’d come for him, one after another, until he was dead.

  Kai drank in the icy winter air, and let the rage fill him again.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  THE BOY WAS RIGHT. They were close. Soon after they began their trek, Sanna had caught the scent of Kai’s blood in the air, mingled with the overripe stink of Cerise’s soldiers. The amount of blood worried her.

  She pressed on, so fast that the boy and Frankie fell behind. She didn’t need the child to lead her anymore. She could follow Kai’s scent to the ends of the earth if she had too. She only hoped he’d be alive when she found him.

  The world around her grew more brilliant the closer she got to the camp, a multicolored jewel caught in the sun. Her senses were sharpening, preparing for whatever waited for her. Maybe she could sneak in and rescue Kai without the voice noticing her, but she feared it might already be too late for that.

  A whistle blew, loud and long, followed by three staccato tweets. Twig yanked her behind a bush, while Frankie bounded onward, oblivious.

  Twig peered between the snow-covered branches. “They must be starting the sacrifice.”

  The floor to her stomach dropped. “We out of time.”

  She surged up, ready to run.

  Footsteps. Someone was coming. She sniffed the air. A man with the same overripe scent as Murray. He materialized a few yards behind them, dressed in white and gray fatigues. She sank down, her boot nudging a rock loose under the snow. Twig watched her with vague interst as she grabbed it and prepared to strike.

  The footsteps grew louder, then faded as the man passed. She relaxed. They hadn’t been spotted. Yet.

  Frankie trotted through the bushes in front of her, a limp squirrel in his jaws. He dropped it on her chest, his black lips spreading into a doggy grin. She shook it off, revolted. Frankie picked it up again and pressed it to the side of her head. She pushed him away, but her touch made him even more wiggly and eager.