Evangeline, Alone. (Book 1): Evangeline, Alone

by Styles, M. A.

  Jack squirmed in the backseat trying to get the bow off him and chucked it in the back with the rifle, keeping his handgun at the ready. He looked back up the hill where they just were, and saw dust puffing up from high on the dirt road.

  “We have to go, they’re coming!” he shouted at Charlie who jammed the keys into the ignition, but the car was pointed in the wrong direction, back to where they just escaped from.

  As Charlie put the car in drive they saw another truck, newer, and nicer than the one that started it all, coming towards them from down the road. The truck started slowing down, about to turn onto the path. Then it just stopped, and they knew whoever was in it, had seen their car, but what would they do next? Stay still and hope they’d go check it out later, or go and risk leading them back to the Block?

  Doug gripped Laila’s seat in front of him, unable to look away from the new truck. Jack, Harrison, and Laila stared at Charlie.

  “Dad?” Harrison asked.

  Then Charlie slammed on the gas, squealing the tires on the road as he made a U-turn back in the direction they came. Back home. And the new truck took off right after them as the rusted one came into view through the budding trees, making its way down the dirt road.

  “Shit,” Charlie hissed as he pressed down harder on the gas pedal. “Put your seatbelt on Harrison!”

  He immediately pulled his over himself and snapped it in.

  Laila turned completely around to watch the truck gaining fast. “They’re going to be right on us in about 20 seconds,” she threw out, looking for suggestions and options.

  Jack reached behind him into the back and grabbed the rifle, placing it over on Doug’s lap, and looked at Laila. Guns seemed to be their only option at the moment. Laila nodded then reached over into Charlie’s lap taking his handgun from his jacket. Best case scenario was they would somehow be able to shoot these guys in their moving car, while they were sitting inside their also moving car. Even if they were successful in stopping them from getting to their home, they would be bringing every wanderer right up to their doors with a damn shoot out, and they hadn’t secured the downed wall yet.

  Charlie heard Jack’s window start to roll down, and looked at him in the rearview mirror, “Harrison, put your head down.”

  The other truck was now right behind them, and it was now or never. Jack steadied himself on the open window frame, took a deep breath, and just as he was about to stick his upper body out of the car he saw it.

  Off into the woods, running full speed was the guy from the office. His arms were whipping back and forth at his sides as he seemed to keep up with the cars, and then he was gone, sprinting over a ridge and away from them.

  “What the fuck?” Jack said to himself.

  “Hold on, we’re going to be taking this turn hard!” shouted Charlie, and their bodies followed the force of the turn, leaning them all to the side.

  They had to slow down considerably to even make it without flipping the SUV, but thankfully so did the truck behind them. Charlie tried to pick up speed again, but they had a lot of ground to cover.

  Jack looked back to see that, at least for the moment they had gained a bit more distance from surprising them with the turn. That was when he pushed himself out the window and tried to steady the gun to aim at their windshield. Laila did the same out of hers in the front. Doug was still clinging to the back of the seat, ashen faced. Then they both saw the figure explode out from the woods right at the side of the truck behind them. He jumped, placing his feet perfectly on the foot rail at the driver’s side door, holding onto the side view mirror, and fired two shots right through their open window, and into the cab. Immediately the truck veered off the road and into a tree. The figure slammed its left shoulder blade into the mirror on impact and flew off, sliding a bit across the road until he was laying in the ditch on the side of it.

  “Stop the truck!” Jack shouted at Charlie, slapping the top of the SUV.

  “What?”

  “Stop,” Laila said. “They’re dead,” she slid back into the car, as Charlie slammed on the brakes.

  Jack swung his legs out the window and jumped down, starting to make his way towards the ditch where he saw the body land.

  “Wait! What is going on?” Charlie asked as he opened his door and got out, grabbing his gun back from Laila. She followed, machete in hand, and they lined up behind Jack.

  He cautiously walked over towards where he thought the body should be, a few yards ahead of the truck. The hood was smoking and the windshield was splattered with what he assumed was the two passengers brains. He heard something rustling, and peered over the ditch to see the figure had pulled himself up, trying to get into a sitting position against a nearby tree trunk. Jack had his gun aimed at his covered face, as did Charlie behind him, and Laila with her machete raised at Jack’s other side. The figure just kept looking at them, then suddenly raised his hand to his face to pull the kerchief like fabric swatch down around his neck, exposing a mouth opening. All three jump a bit at his movement, but none of them fired. They could see his chest rising and falling rapidly, still trying to catch his breath from that run.

  Suddenly, Harrison appeared behind them.

  “Here Dad,” he reached out a water bottle that was clanking with ice, condensation dripping down its sides that he’d brought from the car.

  “Get back to the Jeep, now! What are you thinking?” Charlie said over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off their two time savior.

  “Sorry, I just thought he could use a drink. He just saved us,” he said defeated.

  The three of them exchanged guilty glances, but then the figure stirred again reaching once more to his face.

  “Hey kid!” said the figure, and reached up again to pull the balaclava up over their dirty, stained face, revealing a woman looking back at them. “Is that ice?” She reached out a hand.

  Jack’s gun started to lower unwittingly as he stared into her face, and Harrison turned back, breaking through their line towards her. Charlie was too stunned to get a hold of his shirt as he passed him, and handed her the bottle.

  She slowly reached out and took it from him, then proceded to chug the whole contents, every now and again dribbling some down her chin. When it was empty, save for the unmelted, remaining ice, she held it back out to him, and wiped her mouth on the trench coat’s sleeve, looking all four of them in the face as they stared at her. She scooted herself back up against the tree with her good arm, settling back into it.

  “Shit,” she said still breathing heavy. “How the fuck do you guys have ice?”

  CHAPTER 2

  The Block

  Every now and again you could hear the tarp meant to save the trunk from a dead deer in the back of the SUV crinkle as the woman swayed with the slight bumps of the road in the dead silence of the car. Doug was constantly looking back at her ever since she made her way with the rest of the group to the car and climbed into the back. Harrison, on the other hand, was completely turned around leaning over the back of his seat watching as she struggled to take the trench coat off.

  “Are you hot?” he asked simply.

  “Nope,” she said, reaching into one of the pockets of the jacket and pulling out a blue swatch of cloth.

  Jack sat with his back against the passenger door so he could keep an eye on her, gun in hand just in case. His backpack at his feet, arrows still sticking out of the opening. He watched as she unfolded it, and saw their dried apples, and the few bread slices, even the one the talker had ripped a piece off. She took that one first and began taking large bites out of it.

  “I made those apples you know,” Harrison informed her as she chewed.

  She lifted the cloth napkin to him, offering him some, and he took two off the top of the pile, cramming one in its entirety into his mouth.

  He continued to talk through his chewing, “Thanks.”

  “Thank you,” she said holding up a slice of her own to show him, and then ate it.

  “That’s o
ur food you know,” Charlie said matter-of-factly as he took a quick glance at her in the rearview mirror.

  Laila gave him a look that pretty much said: Seriously? along with, Obviously she’s aware, and Charlie looked down slightly embarrassed.

  “I mean, um,” he cleared his throat, but didn’t know how to finish.

  The woman just folded the napkin back over the remaining food, and handed it out to Harrison.

  “I’m sorry, he didn’t mean you couldn’t have it,” Laila said trying to explain. “I think he was trying to tell you there’s more where that came from, if you need it.”

  Charlie let out a grunt of agreement, and a thankful glance at Laila. She turned back to the front, but put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a few pats.

  Harrison just smiled at her, but didn’t take the food back, “That’s really Jack’s anyway. He brought it for us, and packed it up,” he nodded over at him, while he pretended to look off out the front. But in his peripheral vision Jack could see her looking at him from the other side of the car, and saw her slide the stuffed napkin just under his seat’s headrest.

  “Did you kill those guys?” Harrison asked suddenly.

  The woman looked over at him for a second, subtly looking at the rest of the adults for a cue as to how she should answer.

  No one gave her any signal, or even so much as looked at her, but she could see that they all adjusted themselves in some way in their seats. She let out a thoughtful sigh, then Charlie answered for her.

  “Ok, that’s enough. Let her relax. Turn around and buckle up.”

  Harrison huffed in protest, but did what he was told, at least for a little while.

  “Why were those guys covering their faces?” he asked, curious.

  When no one interjecting this time, seemingly interested in the answer themselves, she responded, “They thought it was airborne.”

  The kid smiled, “It’s not! Everybody knows that!”

  “Well, they didn’t apparently,” Charlie mumbled from the front seat, his voice gruff with hate and indignation.

  “Do you know that?” Harrison turned as far back as he could again while being buckled in to ask her more directly. “You were wearing one too.”

  She shook her head, “Mmhm, had to fit in.”

  “Do you know what it really is?” The boys eyes widened as he leaned in a little closer to her, anticipating an answer.

  “No one knows why or how, at least no one still around, or they would’ve figured something out by now,” Laila said. “Turn back around, and leave her alone, ok?” she added gently.

  He did what he was told. A small frown formed, pulling down his face, and he crossed his arms over his chest with a grunt.

  Jack turned his head slightly to get another look at her. She had turned herself away from them a bit, looking out the back dusty window. He thought that she must have been hot. She was still wearing a thick long sleeved shirt with the balaclava folded up so it was a hat, and the sun which was almost directly above them now was shining straight on her. He saw a small drop of sweat roll down the side of her face, and she reach up to wipe it away as it reached her cheek. A sudden streak of red smeared with it, and he noticed she had small bits of blood splatter on her face. He slowly turned away again, and they all rode the rest of the way in silence until they got to the gate.

  The woman just kept looking out the back, even when the loud rumbling of it sliding to the side made Doug jump. They pulled the car through, waving at a guy who seemed to be manning a gate house, and the other guy on the side of the opening at the top of the brick wall surrounding the grounds. They followed a paved road for about thirty yards until it took them parallel to the building, and that’s when the woman, out of the side windows, could see it.

  Charlie was watching her, “We call it ‘The Block’ due to its shape.”

  She had already figured that out. The building was a perfect square about four stories high and made of brick. It had absolutely no personality save for the bars that covered every window on the first floor, and the doors she spotted on the sides that she could see. As they reached the back and started down a slight slope, it opened up in to a small parking lot. She noticed a loading dock type area with a large roll up metal door at the basement level. She also noticed it closed as a person spotted her in the back. The car emptied, with Jack being the last out, and then Charlie was at the back opening the hatch for her.

  “Here you go,” he said as politely as he could.

  She slowly stretched her legs out and over, then slid the rest of herself out and to the ground. She looked around, not so much at the building, but at the people. Some of the ones who she shared a ride with, Harrison and Doug, had started walking to the side door they had passed to get to the lot. The others were lingering, trying not to be too obvious that they were waiting to escort her in. The few people at the door were not being very inconspicuous about staring either.

  She took two steps towards the building before Charlie called after her, “You forgot your coat.”

  “I’m done with it,” she said simply, but she got the hint to hold on a second.

  Laila came and stood beside her while they waited for Jack and Charlie to unpack the things that were left. Charlie took the lead, the rifle slung over his shoulder, and Jack stayed close behind them, bow crossed over his chest, and backpack in hand. They were much lighter than they were when they left, and completely empty handed save for the stranger, which would not be filling anyones stomachs. As they passed the side door the other two went into, Laila notice her looking at it out of the corner of her eye.

  “We’re just going to go in the front, so you can get your bearings a little better,” she said reassuringly, but Laila could see the skepticism on her face.

  The woman knew what this was, it was a groups routine, enacted when a new comer came. The safest route to protect what they had, hide what shouldn’t be seen, and give the people inside some time to make some decisions.

  Finally, a few smart moves from these people, she thought.

  They approached the front entry way, the only thing with some character, but it wasn’t much. An ornate gated door stood in front of them, and over it, carved in stone were the words: Benson Academy.

  “A school?” she questioned, looking at Laila as they paused for Charlie to pull open the iron gate, then knock on the door before entering.

  “Yes, and no,” Laila said as she held the gate back so the woman could walk in. Jack entered last, and instantly closed the gate behind them, clanging it loudly shut, then again with the main door.

  It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light, and she stood stiffly at the ready, widening her eyes trying to pick up as much detail as possible. Suddenly the room filled with bright light, and someone was coming straight at her. She blinked rapidly, trying to adjust and took a few steps back to the door, ending up next to Jack.

  “I’m sorry about that!” said the man in an English accent stopping just in front of her and reaching out his hand enthusiastically. “I’m Liam Grant, it’s so nice to meet you. You’ve got something on your face.”

  The woman looked at his hand disbelievingly, but slowly brought hers, dirty and weathered, up for the shake. He smiled at her broadly rubbing his own cheek a bit with his other hand to show her where he was talking about. She looked to the three she’d been traveling with wondering what the hell was going on, and then she started to take in the room.

  She was standing in a great open space, a grand staircase right in front of her. She looked up to see a fairly simple, but large chandelier which was blaring brightly with electricity, and she had to look away as her eyes started squinting closed. There were a few rooms to the left and right, hallways here and there, and judging from the size of the building there had to be more behind the staircase.

  Liam took note of her confusion, “Yes, it’s a lot. Um, welcome, though. I can’t wait to hear all about where you’re from, and what you’ve been doing out t
here.”

  She turned sharply to look right at him, and he jumped back a little, but recovered quickly with a nervous smile. Then she heard the giggling. Up at the balcony of the stairs she saw a few little faces peaking out. They appear to be about eight or nine years old, and they were smiling down at her.

  “Alright, shoo, now. Off to wherever you’re suppose to be,” Liam said not even looking at them.

  “What is this place?” she asked, to his delight.

  “Well, its intention was to be a school for, uh, especially advanced children, unique, but now serves many purposes, and also still that one a bit. At least as much as we can at this point,” then Charlie cut off his ramblings.

  “Let’s get out of the main hall. I’d like you to meet someone if that’s alright,” and he paused at the bottom of the staircase, waiting patiently for her response.

  She took a few more looks around as the rest of them looked at her. She knew she didn’t really have a choice, but she finally took a step forward, and they followed. It went dark again, and she turned quickly to see that Jack had turned the lights back off.

  “Oh, we try not to waste too much electricity here if we can help it. You’ll learn all about it, I suppose, if they’re taking you upstairs. It means you’re going to meet the school founder,” continued Liam.

  “Is he bald and in a wheelchair?” she asked in jest looking over the rails as she ascended the steps.

  He let out a loud laugh that echoed in the large room making everyone turn and look at him. He stifled a few more chuckles, “I see you’re a comic book fan, but no, she is neither bald nor in a wheel chair. And the kids aren’t that kind of extraordinary.”

  They had reached the top of the steps and at the landing was a large room. Its two double doors opened revealing something reminiscent of a common room towards the back row of windows. In the center of the room were round cafeteria tables with plastic backed chairs pulled up to them. They then turned left, following the curve of the banister until they reached a straightaway with one door. A name plate on the side read: Principal Mallone.