Fury Rising

  But he couldn’t say any of those things to Raj, because the guy was right. They were being careless. Even worse, they were arguing in the middle of a mall that was supposed to be full of ferals. But Raj wasn’t about to let it go.

  “The two of you are toxic together.”

  “I’ve got news for you,” Daniel said. “I’m fine with that. Because being toxic with someone means I’m still human. I’m still here. And I’d rather be deadly with Mason than fighting against him. I guess you can’t possibly understand that. That’s cool. Because if you did, then you’d be just like me. And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. You have no idea what it’s like being forced to exist in both worlds.”

  Daniel turned and began to walk away. He bent down and picked up another pair of jeans, checked the tag and then threw them back.

  “Wait.” Raj called out to him. “I’m sorry. I’m just angry. Just saying words. That’s all.”

  Mason didn’t think so. Raj had been right on the money. The two of them were toxic. Together, they brought out the very worst in each other. Or the very best. Because sometimes that sort of lethal combination worked.

  Mason jogged over to Daniel and blocked his path. He thought Daniel might brush him aside, but instead, Daniel was grinning. Mason looked into his eyes to make sure they hadn’t suddenly turned black.

  “Nothing like a little drama,” Daniel said. “Come on, seriously, do you really think I’d walk out on you guys when things are finally starting to get interesting?”

  Mason grinned. “Depends. Are you sure you don’t want to finish your shopping spree first? I hear the Bay has gone upscale recently. Brand name jeans.”

  “I like what I’ve got,” Daniel said.

  They waited until Raj and Jordan joined them.

  “We’re sorry,” Mason said, deciding it was best to keep the peace as long as they could. Apologies all around. “You’re right. We should have kept you in the loop.”

  “But as long as we’re here,” Daniel said. “I think a search party is in order.”

  “You think they’re still here?” Raj frowned and Jordan raised his rifle a bit higher.

  “No,” Daniel said. “I can’t feel them, but then again, I couldn’t really feel them before.”

  Raj gave him a look that was both disgust and surprise. “You can sense them? Like smell? Read their thoughts? I didn’t know Baggers can do that.”

  “It’s not quite as gross as that,” Daniel said. “We can kinda sense each other when we’re close. We know our own kind. But it’s not like we’re sniffing each other out. And mind reading is not in the cards.”

  “Tarot cards?” Jordan asked. “I have an aunt who used to read those.”

  “Did she predict an earthquake by any chance?” Mason asked with a straight face.

  “No, but she told my cousin she was being cheated on by her husband. But I think she just didn’t like the guy and wanted him gone. Either way, it worked.” Jordan’s face suddenly lit up. “Oh, she told my brother he was in for a big change. He thought it might be a promotion at work, but he actually became a Bagger. That’s something, right? Kinda creepy when you think about it.” He looked longingly at Daniel. “I wish he was like you. Then I could still talk to him some of the time. I’d like that.”

  “Thanks, I think.”

  “I mean it. When I first met you, I didn’t know. I never would have guessed. And now that I know, I guess I still trust you. Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do. Does any of that make sense?”

  “Must be God’s way.”

  “Yeah. He’s got his plans.” Jordan gave him a huge grin. “Running into you. Must have been in the cards. Fate.”

  Daniel looked at Jordan with a straight face. “I thought you believed in God. Aren’t you supposed to be against things like Tarot Cards?”

  Jordan paused and appeared to really think it over.

  Mason didn’t want to wait for Jordan to figure out his religious conflictions. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s check things out. I’d rather get this done before midnight.”

  “No splitting up either,” Raj said. “I’m not in the mood to hunt you both down again.”

  It didn’t take long to search the mall.

  Empty. Even the two ferals they’d seen at the front entrance were nowhere in sight.

  “This is strange,” Jordan said. “Why would they give this place up? There’s tons of stuff here. Food. Supplies. I’ve been following these guys for ages. When they come across a bonanza, they stick with it until it’s gone. They spent a week destroying a Walmart in Merritt. They’ve never been in any hurry before. So why now the rush?”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Daniel agreed. “They’re not exactly on a mission like the others. The ferals I’ve seen only wander and kill.”

  “You don’t think there’s a possibility they’ve found out about what we’re planning?” Mason said. “Maybe found themselves a few more Baggers and tortured themselves up some information?”

  “It’s possible,” Raj said. “Leon wouldn’t have just taken our word on it. I wouldn’t have. I’d have rounded up a few of my latchkeys and sent them off to see for myself. And I’ll also wager that if I were a feral and found out a small group of idiots were planning an ambush; I’d want to make sure the odds were on my side. Catch everyone off guard by showing up early before everyone is prepared.”

  All four of them stood in silence for a few minutes.

  “I think we’d better get back,” Mason said.

  Nothing

  Let’s be serious for a minute, shall we?

  Because the time is now. This hour. Minute. Second.

  We go through life with a variety of choices. Remember free will? The very thing that makes us human?

  A girl walks into a bar.

  Don’t shake your head at me. An analogy can also be the set up for a bad joke.

  A girl walks into a bar and finds two people sitting at a table. They wave her over. One is Fate. The other Choice.

  Come with me and I’ll give you everything you desire, says Fate. But there’s a catch. You’ll give up all control. From this moment on, I’ll be making all your decisions. Everything. When you eat, sleep, drink. Even when you pee. But before you answer, understand that I’ll give you everything your heart desires. All your dreams will come true. You will die a happy woman.

  The girl looks over at Choice, wondering what sort counter offer she’ll receive. Choice shrugs and waves down the bartender for another round.

  Come with me or don’t come with me. I don’t give a fuck.

  Wait. Were you actually expecting a punch line?

  Okay, I’ll try again.

  A Bagger walks into a bar and kills everyone.

  Hilarious.

  Give me love or give me death. Give me a dream of a pretty girl wearing a dress and dancing in the twilight.

  Give me choice and I’ll make the wrong decision all by myself.

  I have so many wants. They float around my head like little paper planes searching for a Lego runway. And I have regrets. Lots of them. They sit in my stomach like chewing gum that won’t decay.

  And I have hope for the first time in ages.

  Hope is a funny thing. It makes me want to live. It makes me think that maybe one day I can toss aside these chains like the loose skin I wear across my face. I can shed my past and finally allow myself the hope of a future.

  Alone.

  Always alone.

  Better for everyone.

  But not for me.

  Please don’t judge me. It will be my choice.

  The War Begins

  We are outnumbered.

  Clementine

  She sat silently at the lunch table with Janey and Aries, watching Casey and the other children run up and down the compound with Cleopuptra, aka Princess Fluffy. Aries was brooding, which was fine by Clementine; she didn’t really want to talk anyway. Instead she watched Casey and Andrew digging in the dirt, squealing in delight and disgust when th
ey unearthed a worm.

  I feel like I’m waiting for a sign, Heath. What’s going to happen? In all honesty, I’ve done nothing but wait for things to happen since the world ended. After the earthquakes, we waited to hear from you. When I hid in the barn, I anticipated being attacked. In Vancouver, I wait for the day I’ll hear something about your whereabouts. This is my new life. One big long delay. When will it end? How?

  I don’t want to die like Michael.

  Her shoulder and leg ached horribly, but she’d refused more medication from both Aries and Larissa. It was better this way, the drugs only made her groggy and slow. Although she still wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep away the rest of her life, it wasn’t an option. No, she needed to be alert.

  When the Baggers started pouring out of the casino, she knew she’d made the right decision.

  They were all armed and they moved quickly throughout the compound, grabbing hold of people, giving orders, and shoving them towards the doors.

  “Everyone inside.”

  People were confused. They began backing away towards the gates, only to be met by more Baggers.

  “What’s happening?” Janey asked. She grabbed Andrew’s arm as he ran past and forced him to sit down beside her. Casey came and joined them immediately. She plopped down and took Clementine’s hand. The dog trotted over towards her feet, but even she’d noticed the change in the air. Her tail went between her legs and when she sat, she gave a soft whimper that made Aries reach out and scratch her ears.

  “I’m not sure,” Clementine said. She looked over towards Aries who shrugged back.

  “Should we go somewhere else?”

  “Where?” Aries said. “It’s not like they’re going to let us walk out. Where else can we go?”

  They waited. It didn’t take long before a team of Baggers approached them. At least they still had their weapons pointed up at the sky.

  “Everyone inside.”

  “Why?” Clementine asked.

  “Because I told you.”

  Over by the stage, a group of people had refused the demands. A Bagger drew his weapon and shot a man in his knee. It was the signal that everyone didn’t know they were waiting for. People started screaming and pushing, even the ones who had, until a moment before, been walking passively towards the Casino. The Baggers didn’t hesitate. Guns were drawn instantly, but not fired. Leon must have given them direct orders not to kill. Instead, they started rounding everyone up one by one. Another Bagger used his rifle to club a teenager in the jaw as she ran by. The girl dropped to the ground and two Baggers picked her up and took her inside.

  The Baggers beside Clementine and Aries turned and headed off towards the worst of the rebellion, leaving them temporarily alone. They obviously didn’t think that the kids were going to be much of a problem, but Clementine knew it wouldn’t take long before they came back. She’d heard all about the earlier meeting with Leon. Aries would be on the top of their list.

  Aries seemed to be thinking the exact same thing. She quickly pulled her hood up to hide her noticeable auburn hair. “Come on. We gotta find somewhere to hide.”

  The tents were the closest so they ushered the children over and forced them in. None of them wanted to go, but Janey managed to get them under control without much difficulty.

  “What about Princess Fluffy?” Casey asked. “We can’t leave her. She’ll be so scared.”

  “I’ll get her,” Clementine said. The dog was still over by the picnic table, cowered underneath, watching all the people rushing past. She slowly and painfully got down on her knees and tried coaxing her out, but the dog only whined. Over by the fence, people were trying to climb the chain-link and the Baggers were pulling them down one by one.

  A man in a windbreaker rushed past her, almost kicking her in the process. She looked up to see more people rushing blindly towards her. Clementine swore and crawled under the table. A moment later, Aries joined her.

  “I told them to stay in the tent and not come out for anything,” Aries said. “Hopefully that’s enough.”

  “They’ll listen to Janey,” Clementine said. “That girl has the magic touch of an eighty-year-old grandmother with cookies. Braver than any kid I’ve ever met too.”

  Squatting together with the dog between them, they watched the windbreaker man race across the yard to grab a Bagger who had wrapped his arms around a woman’s throat. Clementine recognized the man. Mason had introduced him earlier. Chaplin, like the actor. She only remembered the name because her grandmother used to make her and Heath watch all the movies when they were younger.

  Chaplin managed to set the girl free, but took a blow to the back of the head that would have knocked out a moose. The girl ran off towards the chain link fence. She got about halfway up before they dragged her back down. She didn’t even scream when they shocked her with a Taser. A bald monster of a Bagger picked her up and threw her across his shoulder. As he walked towards the Casino, he glanced back and spotted Aries and her.

  “Yeah, that’s not good,” Aries said. “He’s got a grudge against me.”

  “Really?”

  “I made him bawl like a newborn calf.”

  “Must have been quite the show.”

  Over at the front gate, more Baggers had arrived. They opened the fence, only to have a flood of people try and force their way out. Someone fired a gun into the air, several loud bangs that made everyone panic even more. The Baggers closest to the gate began to swing baseball bats and police batons.

  “I think Leon’s called our bluff,” Aries said. “He’s got no intention of working with us against the ferals.”

  “I think you’re right,” Clementine said. “But why take everyone inside?”

  “Mason said when they take people into the casino, they almost never come back out. I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of going in there. Out here we still have a chance. In there, I think it might be over.”

  Clementine nodded. It still didn’t make much sense. Why take everyone inside? Why not just start killing in the open. Unless Leon was planning one last show. A spectacular event that would end everything at once. Either way, Aries was right. The last place they wanted to be was inside those doors.

  “We need weapons.”

  “Think you can change one of them if we get close enough?”

  “It won’t,” Aries said. “It takes time. I can’t just zap someone and have them drop like that. I need to concentrate.”

  “Then I guess we need to do it the old fashioned way.”

  They crawled out from beneath the table and surveyed the area. A Bagger rushed towards them, not paying attention. She was too busy dragging an unconscious child. Clementine lurched forward, pain bursting through her shoulder as she threw herself on top of the Bagger. Ignoring the stars that burst across her vision, Clementine wrapped her hands around the Bagger’s face and dug in. As the Bagger dropped her victim and started to fight back, Aries jumped in, punching the monster right in the neck and reaching for the gun sticking out of the waistband of her jeans.

  It took the Bagger a few seconds to fully understand her plight. It wasn’t difficult to shove Clementine off. The pain in her body was more than enough to keep her from fighting. The Bagger pulled herself to her feet and kicked at the unconscious child on the ground. Hunching over, she growled at Clementine and readied herself for attack.

  Aries stepped between them, raising the gun towards the Bagger’s face.

  “You won’t shoot me.”

  The gun fired. Clementine saw Aries’ body jerk from the recoil, but the bullet still found its target. The Bagger dropped to the ground.

  It wasn’t a victorious moment. All they did was draw more attention to themselves. Several of the Baggers turned and started coming. And they had a lot more weapons than one small handgun.

  “Come on,” Aries said. “We’ll lose them in the crowd.”

  Clementine turned and saw Andrew running towards them with Janey right on his
heels. She swore under her breath. She tried grabbing Andrew’s arm, but he shook her off with childlike ferocity. Diving under the table, he grabbed hold of the dog and tried picking Cleopuptra up.

  “He won’t listen to me,” Janey said.

  But the dog was listening to Andrew. He crawled back out from under the table with the pup glued to his heels. Whimpering, tale between her legs, but finally out from her hiding spot.

  “Come on,” Aries said. They ran back to the tent. Thankfully, with all the people running about in all directions, the Baggers were too busy to pay the children any attention. Or maybe that wasn’t it. Clementine noticed twice that the Baggers simply ignored Janey and Andrew, choosing instead to go after adults.

  They don’t want the kids inside the Casino, Heath. That’s got to be a good thing. Or maybe they’re saving them until the end. The big finale. Either way, I’m not letting them get their chance. We’ve got one gun. We can get another. And I’ll kill anyone who tries to touch Janey or the others. Look at me. I’ve turned all Momma Bear on these Bagger’s asses.

  They reached the tent a second time. Andrew didn’t have to be told. He coaxed the dog inside and sat down to join Casey as if he hadn’t just done something incredibly stupid like risk his life. Of course, for a small child, a dog would be worth it. So might a favorite toy or a sippy cup.

  “Keep them inside,” Aries said.

  “I’ll guard them with my life,” Janey said.

  Okay, a little over the top, but good to know the girl had their backs.

  Over by the front gate, the Baggers were beginning to get everyone under control. The yard was thinning out as more people disappeared willingly or forcefully into the Casino. The remaining few were still putting up a fight, but their numbers were not in their favor. Clementine noticed they’d finally managed to get Chaplin down. Two female Baggers each grabbed one of his arms and started dragging him off.

  “Hey. You. Aries.”

  A girl raced towards them. She couldn’t be more than a few years older. She stopped a few feet away, panting heavily, wiping sweat and blood off her forehead with the sleeve on her jacket.