Dark Apocalypse: A Post-Apocalyptic Family Saga

by Gabriel Alexander

  “My warriors, come to me!” he yelled.

  The rebels got out from the houses or from behind them and regrouped in front of their leader, who then yelled at the townsfolk:

  “If you don’t want me to waste them, you will drop the weapons and surrender.”

  “You coward!” a woman yelled. “Hiding behind elderly and children. Let them go! They have nothing to do with this.”

  “Shut up!” the rebel leader yelled. “Who is your leader?”

  “I am!” Hobbs said, coming out from behind a house. “What do you want?”

  The leader aimed his Kalashnikov at the children and the elderly around him.

  “Right now, I want you to tell them that they have ten seconds to drop the weapons or I will shoot them where they stand.”

  Hobbs sighed and lowered his head.

  “One… two… three…”

  “All right!” Hobbs told him. “You won. Drop your weapons!”

  The townsfolk complied. They dropped their weapons.

  ***

  One of the rebels brought a local in front of the rebel leader and kneeled him in front of him and next to the rest of the locals, who were kneeled before the rebel leader.

  “That’s the last of them, sir,” the rebel told his leader.

  “Perfect!” the leader said. He then looked at all the locals in front of him with disgust. His blue eyes and blonde, short hair didn’t make him look ferocious. But appearances can be deceiving.

  “Good morning, dear folks!” the rebel leader said. “Or should I say good evening, since it’s still dark outside.”

  He started walking next to the people kneeled in front of him.

  “You know, until thirty-one years ago, at this time of day, there was light outside. Until, suddenly, according to those who were around then, a galactic alignment caused our beloved planet to shake so violently and so much that it caused the night to become twenty one hours long and the day was shrunk to just three hours. Some said it was nothing but a natural phenomenon, which was meant to happen sooner or later. And some say it was a punishment from God, who reached the end of His patience with us and decided to teach us a lesson after seeing how depraved we were. That it was His answer to us pillaging, raping, stealing, polluting, killing, fornicating, etcetera, etcetera. I, for one don’t know what to believe. But I do know this: if it wasn’t for The Alignment, I wouldn’t be what I am today. Oh, no. I would have had a miserable job, cleaning someone’s shithole or worse for some shitty salary. But because of The Alignment, here I am today, the leader of these fine folks that you see around you, the one who gives orders, instead of taking them. I don’t know about you, but I consider myself lucky for The Alignment.”

  He took a minute to clear his throat.

  “But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Drake Rim Jr, the leader of these fine folks whom you call “rebels.” Some of you who are old enough may have known my father, Drake Rim Sr. He himself was a great leader. He conquered numerous territories in this area with the help of his men and struck his enemies with fear and respect for him. I wish I could have met him, known him… see what kind of man he was and what exactly made him so… successful in his conquering campaigns. But, alas, I couldn’t. He died before I was born. Twenty years ago, according to my mother, he was killed by two people, a man and a woman. A man and a woman who had no respect for him and no honor in their hearts. Which brings me to the reason of my visit to you tonight. My mother told me that my father’s killers had two kids, an older boy and a younger girl. Now, my father’s killers are now dead too. His men managed to kill them both after they killed my father. But their kids are still alive. Which is not acceptable. Oh, no, ladies and gentlemen… I will not accept that my closest relative is dead while their closest relatives are still alive. There is a balance that must be maintained in this world. And as long as the offspring of my father’s killers are alive, that balance is seriously damaged. Hell, the universe itself is in a predicament. The names of the kids of my father’s killers are Thomas and Julie. And, according to my source here, they live within the gates of this community.”

  “Your source?” Hobbs asked.

  Drake Junior approached him.

  “Yes, my source.”

  He then pointed at Tim.

  “You! Come here!”

  Tim got up and came next to Drake Junior, who then pointed at one of his men and said:

  “Pay him up!”

  “Yes, sir!” the man said, before throwing him a bag of bullets.

  “You gutless traitor!” Hobbs said.

  “What can I say? I told you… I ‘m a trader. I trade everything, including information, if it pays good.”

  “Get out of here, before I change my mind,” Drake Junior told Tim.

  Tim nodded and ran outside the gates, where he disappeared in the darkness.

  “Where was I, now?” Drake Junior said. “Ah, yes… you were going to point me to Thomas and Julie.”

  “No,” Hobbs said. “We will never betray our own.”

  “Oh, I think you will. Boys, shoot somebody!”

  One of the rebels shot a woman in the head. Some of the rest of the women and the kids started crying.

  “You have exactly one minute to tell me which one of you is Thomas and Julie. After that, my boys will kill someone else.”

  He waited for a while, and then said:

  “Well, your time is up. Will I have to kill someone else, or will you point me to those that I’m looking for?”

  “Fuck you!” Hobbs told Drake Junior.

  “Okay, then. Boys…”

  “Wait!” a woman’s voice said.

  “Who said that?” Drake junior asked.

  “Over here, boss!” a rebel said, indicating the woman who talked.

  Drake Junior walked toward her.

  “Yes, darling? Is there something you wish to tell me?”

  The woman raised her eyes.

  ‘The woman next to me, to my left… is Thomas’s wife.”

  “Really, now? Well, imagine fact.”

  Drake stepped in front of the woman indicated to him. He crouched in front of her.

  “What’s your name, honey?” he asked her.

  The woman didn’t answer. Instead she looked down in fear and defiance.

  “I asked you a question. The polite thing would be for you to answer.”

  The woman again didn’t answer. Drake Junior leaned into her face.

  “What is your fucking name?”

  “Carla,” the woman answered.

  “Carla. Nice to meet you, Carla. Is it true? You are Thomas’s wife?”

  “Yes, it’s true.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. We’re making progress. Can you bring me to Thomas, dear?”

  “Fuck you!” Carla replied.

  “That’s not the answer I was looking for, honey,” Drake Junior said. He turned his back on her for a moment, then, he turned again and punched her in the face. The woman collapsed on the ground.

  “Mommy, no!” the little boy next to her yelled, grabbing her by the shoulders.

  “Mommy?!” Drake Junior said, surprised. He then faced the little boy.

  “Are you Thomas’s son?”

  “Yes, and my father is going to kick your ass.”

  “Well, look at that. This just keeps getting better and better.”

  Drake Junior grabbed Carla from her hair and stood her up.

  “You will point me at your husband or I will gut you and your little kid alive. Trust me, I will do it. Because I, for one, think that it’s not fair that he should have a beautiful family waiting for him at home, while I have nothing. So where is he?”

  “He is not here. He’s gone hunting.”

  “Really? And when will he be back?”

  “I don’t know, I swear.”

  Drake let go of her hair.

  “Okay!” he said. “I believe you! I believe you!”

  Drake turn
ed to the woman who pointed him at Thomas’s wife.

  “Can you show me where Julie is?”

  “She is gone too. They go hunting together.”

  “Well, if it isn’t my bad luck. Looks like I will have to leave them a message.”

  He then addressed his rebels:

  “Burn this whole place to the ground and kill them all.”

  People started crying and yelling after hearing Drake’s plans for them.

  “Except for these two,” he said, pointing at Carla and Fred. “I’ve got other plans for them.”

  “Yes, sir,” some of the rebels said.

  Then, they started complying with their leader’s orders. They grabbed torches and burned all the houses. People were begging for mercy, but the rebels didn’t know what mercy was. Their bullets killed them all, not before women and children were raped and men were tortured in the most heinous ways, from savage beatings to castrations.

  Drake approached the woman who rated out on Carla and Fred.

  “Honey, I appreciate you giving me information, but I don’t trust traitors. I will repay you, however, by giving you a quick death.”

  He pointed the gun at her head and fired. She died before she hit the ground. Drake then turned toward Carla and Fred.

  “You two are safe, for now. Until we kill everyone else, at least. And then… let’s just say I will use you to tell your husband and his sister that we were here.”

  “You asshole!” Carla yelled.

  “And then some.”

  ***

  Thomas and Julie were ecstatic about their hunt. And for good reason. The deer they caught was going to feed their families. They were playing a guessing game in the car, while Thomas was driving home.

  “Okay, I’m thinking about an animal,” Julie said.

  “An animal, okay.”

  “Its fur is bright yellow.”

  “A camel?”

  “No. Let me finish.”

  “Okay.”

  “It’s got a mange and it’s sometimes referred to as the king of the animals.”

  “Oh, come on, Julie, you’re making this too easy for me. It’s a lion.”

  “That is correct.”

  “Okay, my turn. I’m thinking about a flower.”

  “A flower, okay.”

  “It comes in three colors: red, white and yellow.

  “Okay.”

  “It’s got thorns on its stalk.”

  “Oh, give me something harder, bro. It’s a rose.”

  “Yes, it is a rose.”

  They reached the top of the hill, where they could see the town. But on their second look, they saw something odd.

  “Is it me, or the townsfolk lit too many torches?” Julie asked.

  “It’s either that, or…”

  “Oh, my God. No! Step on it! Quickly!”

  Thomas put the pedal to the metal and when they reached next to the town’s gates, their worst fear was confirmed: the entire town was in flames.

  Thomas stopped the car in front of the gates and he and Julie got out quickly.

  “No! Darryl!” Julie yelled, desperate.

  “Carla! Fred!” Thomas also yelled.

  But only when they entered the gates did they have the shock of their lives. Thousands of dead bodies were lying on the ground, some burning. And they all had bullet holes in them.

  Thomas collapsed on his knees, while Julie started crying.

  “No! No! This isn’t happening, no! This can’t be real. Jesus Christ!” Thomas said.

  Then he got up and entered the gates. Julie followed him. They were both treading carefully, to avoid stepping on bodies. They were checking the bodies to see if any of them belongs to any of their loved ones. And the first one to find her husband was Julie. She turned one of the bodies face up and her worst nightmare was confirmed.

  “No! Darryl! No!” she yelled in agony, while hugging her dead husband. Thomas put his hand on her shoulder, but she quickly removed it. She kept crying, with her husband’s body in her arms.

  Thomas started looking for his family too. He kept turning dead bodies upwards, to see if any of them belong to his wife and son. So far, nothing. He then headed toward his burning house to check there. He broke the door and got in. He started coughing due to heavy smoke. And he was surrounded by flames. He could hardly find a way to move forward among the flames.

  “Carla! Fred!” he yelled.

  No answer.

  “Carla! Fred!” he yelled again. “Are you here? Answer me!”

  Again, nothing. He turned the corner and tried to go to the second floor, but the stairs were covered in flames.

  Suddenly, he heard a screeching noise from above. He looked up and saw the roof about to come down.

  “Shit!”

  A piece of wood collapsed next to him. He started running just as pieces from the roof started falling.

  He got out of the house just in time before its roof collapsed. Three more seconds and he was history. He then started yelling again, while walking down an alley:

  “Carla! Fred! Where are you?”

  And when he reached the northwestern end of the wall, he had a new shock. He put his hands on his head and yelled with grief. He dropped down on his knees and started crying:

  “God, no! Jesus Christ! Oh, God, this isn’t happening!”

  But it was happening. The worst nightmare of a father and husband was exposed in front of his eyes. His wife and son were both crucified to the wall. Their hands and feet were pierced by enormous metal spikes and they were bleeding heavily.

  He got up and walked toward them. He first checked Fred. He petted his face and got close to him, while crying heavily.

  “Thomas!” Carla barely pronounced, in agony.

  Thomas moved next to her.

  “I’m right here, honey,” Thomas said, while touching her pierced, bleeding feet. “I’m right here. I’m going to get you down, now, honey. I’m just going to…” he kept talking, while trying to pluck the spike from her feet.

  “You’re going to be okay, honey, you hear me? You’re going to be just fine.”

  “Thomas, it’s too late for me,” Carla said. “I lost too much blood. There’s nothing you can do for me now.”

  “No, honey, no! Who did this to you?”

  “It was the rebels, Thomas. And their leader was looking for you. Something about your parents killing his father and you and Julie still being alive. They crucified me and Fred to send you a message.”

  Thomas’s heart filled with rage.

  “I will find those who did this to you, baby. I will find them and I will kill them slower than they killed you. That’s a promise.”

  Thomas kept crying.

  “Don’t cry, baby. You know death is not the end. You, me and Fred… we’ll meet again someday, in the afterlife. All you have to do is just be patient. But until then, remember… I love you. I always have and I always will.”

  After these last words, she lowered her head and she gave her last breath. Thomas yelled in agony and rage. Julie came next to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

  ***

  The fires burned for about six more hours, before finally devouring all the houses. Julie’s and Thomas’s were no exceptions. They burned to the ground, leaving nothing but ash behind them.

  All of Thomas’ belongings burnt too. Even his Kalashnikov and M-16 were burned beyond functionality. All he had left was his rifle, which was no good for combat.

  Lucky for Julie, who kept her weapons in the basement. She called Thomas, entered the basement, opened the metal cabinet and took out two Kalashnikovs and a few clips from it. She threw one to Thomas, along with some ammunition. They cocked their guns, got out of the basement, entered the car and drove away from what remained of once a good community.

  CHAPTER TEN

  After a couple of hours of driving, they stopped next to an open field. It was four o’clock in the afternoon, so they had two more hour of light left, which meant they ha
d no reason to start a fire yet.

  They got out of the car and searched its trailer. Inside, they found a bag filled with canned beans. They took it, grabbed two cans and opened them. They started eating in silence.

  “So, Thomas,” Julie asked, “what do we do now?”

  “What do you mean what do we do now? I, for one, plan on finding the bastards who killed my family and kill them slowly. Don’t you?”

  “Yeah, of course, but, like it or not, it’s not that simple. I mean, we don’t even know who it was.”

  “It was the rebels. Carla told me before she died.”

  “The rebels? The rebels left us alone for twenty years. Why would they attack us now, out of the blue?”

  “I don’t know. But it has something to do with our parents.”

  “Our parents? Our parents are dead for twenty years. How could this be related to them?”

  “I don’t know, okay?” Thomas yelled. “But this is what Carla said, before she died.

  “Jesus Christ, Thomas! This doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I know, right? It’s fucked up.”

  “Look, Thomas… I want vengeance too. I mean, they killed my family too. They killed my newly wedded husband. But like it or not, we don’t know where to start. We don’t even know where the rebels are right now. Or what their leader looks like. Not to mention that we don’t have a place to stay anymore.”

  “There are other communities out there. One of them will be bound to welcome us. And someone out there has to know how the rebel leader looks like or where their hideout is.”

  After a minute of silence, Thomas said:

  “You were right, Julie.”

  “About what?”

  “About mom and dad’s last wish. If we had stayed in that town for just one week…

  He sighed.

  “Now… All those people would be alive. Our families would be alive.”

  Julie started crying, after seeing her dead husband in front of her eyes again. Thomas kept quiet and continued to eat his beans.

  ***

  They got in the car. Thomas turned the ignition, but... the engine wouldn’t start. He looked at the dashboard. They had no fuel left.

  “God dammit!” he said, before punching the wheel furiously. “Looks like we’re going to have to walk.”

  “Yay, a walk,” Julie said, sarcastically.