CHAPTER FOUR
When our guard was ordered to take position along the barricade, we were ushered to get moving. A nurse brought a wheelchair and my dad and Viktor lifted Kyle out of the bed, settling him in carefully. If I wasn’t worried about our situation, I’d laugh at the state of his pants. One pant leg had been cut off at his upper thigh and a bandage over the wound was the only thing covering his bareness.
With a gun still at our backs, we made the journey back down Main Street, me wheeling my invalid boyfriend along. Panicked shouts were heard as a flurry of fire rained down from the freshly christened night sky. Eden was a warzone. The commune’s security force positioned themselves around the formidable edges of the wall. I watched as two of the soldiers put on night vision goggles and climbed the watchtowers at a speed monkeys would envy. Calculated shots rang loudly and an eerie quiet momentarily overtook the picturesque valley once again.
My family rushed into the nearest building as Sergeant Davies passed us carrying the same rifle he’d been tending to when we first met. I expected to see a troubled face, but he was brimming with eager excitement. We were directed to hole up in a former bank until the battle was over.
Kyle smirked and feigned shooting Davies with an imaginary handgun as we walked away, adding a chipper “pew pew” for good measure. I rolled my eyes at his marijuana-induced antics and parked him next to the half-naked elderly couple ducking behind a bank counter. Peeking out the window, I saw the raiders had driven an SUV through the main gate in an attempt to breach. The guards smartly positioned a minivan behind it to prevent that from happening. The men in the watchtowers ruthlessly plugged the attacking car full of shells.
“Anya, get the hell away from the window!” screamed my father, going into papa bear mode.
“I’m just trying to see what’s happening! We’re sitting ducks in here without our weapons!” I yelled back angrily. The pocket pistol in my boot would do little against more than a few men, but I retrieved it nonetheless and deposited it into my hoodie pocket. It made me feel marginally better.
Viktor was of the same mind as me and began scouring the bank for any sign of a weapon. He found a ski pole on a desk and hurried next to me. My dad hovered near the doorway, insisting on maintaining the front lines. Melanie stood behind Viktor, a gun in hand. Obviously, we girls knew how to be sneaky.
“In case they break in, you go first ok?” I couldn’t help taunting my big brother. He missed my sarcasm and gave me his trademark dismissive grunt. Alexi soon joined us with a cheap K-Mart pocket knife in his shaking hand. Looking at his pinched face, I was tempted to tell him to grow a pair.
One of the soldiers dropped from his perch and fell lifelessly to the ground below. Little fires lit our view as we watched the militia shooting at headlights a couple hundred feet away. There was no telling yet how big the group of raiders was. In the past we’d encountered small gangs like the ones at K-Mart and large ones we were lucky to escape notice from.
The giant of a man we encountered earlier was loading an RPG with obvious intent to maim the men who’d been foolish enough to raid the same settlement twice in a week’s span. Assuming this was the same group. He shouted something at Davies who apparently gave him the go ahead to take the shot. People talk about things slowing down, life suddenly moving in slow motion. I never believed them until the moment that missile was shot. To watch the imminent death of so many people, even the lowest of the low, was an unforgettable reminder of how very far civilization had fallen.
The initial explosion and the following blasts it triggered sent chills down my body. No doubt the bandits had been defeated, but whether any survived remained to be seen. This group of apocalyptic soldiers seemed like the take-no-prisoners kind. I glanced around at my family and friends, hunched in a place of the past, and couldn’t help but appreciate how fortunate we’d been so far.
“I think it’s pretty much over,” I informed those standing in the back of the room. They slowly made their way to us and we all watched as the soldiers shot another RPG in the direction of the flames to the south. A small formation of men walked toward the burning cars, weapons raised. The firing squad extinguished any flickering signs of life, including a boy around Riley’s age who was badly disfigured from the conflagration. I could just make out his futile attempts to beg for mercy before he was filled with several rounds.
These men were really no different than the bandits in their disregard for human life. They’d simply been trained to commit atrocities and given uniforms to justify them. Whatever they wanted to pretend, their authority meant nothing. There was no government anymore, much as the pseudo-military down in Colorado Springs liked to pretend. We rarely went to that settlement for a reason.
“It’s time to get out of here,” my father muttered to himself. “These men relish the opportunity to kill and can’t be trusted,” he said this time to all of us.
With great trepidation, but mustered confidence, we exited the bank in one large flock. Strength in numbers. Once we exited Eden, hopefully by some miracle our cars would be undamaged from all the fire and bullets near the gate. Our group needed the supplies in them to trade for biofuels. We passed celebrating soldiers and frightened citizens desperately attempting to put out small fires all around town. Catfish was already gathering the fallen fighters into a rusty wheelbarrow near the Eastern watchtower. We feared the worst leaving the settlement, but from what we could tell our cars had been undamaged in the battle.
“At least none of us got shot this time,” Kyle quipped optimistically.
“And our getaway vehicles are still intact,” I added.
Riley walked alongside us, acting put out by the whole affair. “Next time I think I’ll just wait at the cabin.”
“Good idea!” I exclaimed with false cheer. “You can stay behind and help Paulina with the laundry!”
“Bitch,” she gritted under her breath.
Stopping, I grabbed her arm. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” she replied, shooting daggers at me.
Letting it drop because now wasn’t the time to have a blow out with my mouthy little sister, I resumed pushing the wheelchair. If it was the last thing I did, I’d turn my sister into a survivor. If she were ever separated from the group, she wouldn’t have much hope of making it a week. My dad coddling her hadn’t helped. Paulina was just starting to get out of the habit of babying her.
Sergeant Davies walked up to us triumphantly, still toting a rifle. He probably slept with the thing. “I’ll need another word with you,” he directed at my dad then shot a look at me and my sister.
I grabbed Riley’s hand and put it on the wheelchair. “Stay with Kyle.” My dad and Viktor were already trailing behind Davies, but I was determined to hear what was said.
I sensed a trap, the man oozed deceit, but there was no choice but to follow. The gun in my pocket weighed heavily all the way there. Inside the barracks a man was bound to a chair and it appeared his face had been used as a punching bag. So they took a prisoner of war after all.
“Marshall here was kind enough to get caught this morning in the hills north of the hot springs. He told us all about the plan to attack tonight. Not that it didn’t take a little convincing,” Davies remarked happily. The way Davis preened in satisfaction I wondered if he was waiting for applause or a pat on the back. This man was probably going to suffer a fate much worse than his comrades if the sergeant got in on the torture.
“Ah, but back to business my new friends,” Davies continued. “It would seem you owe me a debt once again. My protection doesn’t come free.”
Hatred filled me. This extortionist had known about the upcoming conflict and not warned anyone but his men. I imagined Davis often set up situations where he was the one collecting debts. Hustlers like him made survival harder for everyone else.
“This is unfair, Sergeant Davies. We’ve already paid our debt and would never have stayed here had we known what was to come,” my father countered righteously and I
now felt like applauding. Then he let out that sigh, the one I knew meant resignation. “However, for the sake of us parting as friends just tell us what you want,” dad finished plainly.
“Very direct, Mr. Donovan, that’s an admirable quality and I will repay it in kind,” answered Davies smugly. “I require one of your daughters.” His tone became conciliatory as he said, “You see, it gets very lonely in these times and my mother always wanted me to settle down, god rest her soul. I could provide food, protection and anything else she needed. I’m not picky. Both of them are pretty girls. I’ll even allow you to choose.”
The appraising look he scanned me with made me feel like jumping in the hot springs for a harsh scrub down. Viktor was vibrating with rage and I knew my expression reflected the same feeling. The image of me whipping out my little gun and shooting him in the face didn’t settle my anger.
“We would’ve never needed your protection, as you call it, had you not taken our weapons,” my father scathingly spat out.
“This is non-negotiable, Donovan, I was merely letting you choose which one as a nicety. Come to think of it I rather like the younger one, more malleable,” Davies retorted perversely. Little did he know, Riley was convinced her prince charming was still coming to rescue her from the horrors of the apocalypse. Prince Charming, Sergeant Davis was not.
Before the disgust could consume me, a worried man appeared and blurted out, “There’s a huge swarm of zombies on the highway headed for us! Hundreds!” This day just keeps getting better and better.
With a scowl, Davies grabbed an assault rifle from his weapon-littered desk and burst from the room, only glancing back once at us. We’d just been knocked down the to-do list.
We sat there a moment before I said, “Like hell I’ll be some sort of bartering chip, let’s get out of here while he’s occupied.” Viktor untied the half-broken prisoner as my father rummaged through the sergeant’s desk. Smiling, my dad pulled out two bottles of scotch and the Ivory handgun the officer and been salivating over. After the prisoner slumped out of the room, Viktor came over to grab a shotgun off the desk.
Meeting the others on Main Street, we went unnoticed as the soldiers were once again gearing up for battle. A large group of men rushed out the gate and into the darkness. My dad led the way to the cars with Viktor bringing up the rear and we quickly loaded Kyle into the Suburban. In a couple minutes we would be making tracks, disappearing into the night.
We were almost all inside when Riley screamed. Sergeant Davies and a few of his men were trying to force her back to Eden. Viktor was holding his shotgun on them, but unable to fire without risking Riley also.
Zombies were closing in and the soldiers, along with a few Eden natives, were trying to keep them at bay. Despite their efforts, it was clear there were too many. Had they made nice, we’d have assisted them. Fat chance now. I hoped the zombies enjoyed their meals. Closing my eyes for a moment, I checked my strength just in case, not sure I had it in me to use my power again so soon.
A short, bulky man was blindsided by several dead and I watched him get torn to shreds in seconds. Blood and stray flesh lay where there was once a man and the infected around my sister inched ever closer. The giant soldier was overtaken by some biters and frantically fought to maintain life. It was too late though, he’d been bitten in the leg by a child zombie missing half the skin on its face. Dropping to his knees, he took the pistol from a holster around his waist and fired into his own mouth. The undead were indifferent to the blast, proceeding to rip him apart and divvy him up.
The situation was getting more dangerous for us. Running toward the scene, I did the only thing I could. I closed my eyes and concentrated my efforts onto the zombies closest to us. The weak surge of power did the trick. Instantaneously, the dead fell to the ground, leaving only my sister and Sergeant Davies cowering amidst the sea of incapacitated subhumans. Joining Viktor, I hurried to regain my captive sister. Riley made a break for it and ran past us to our father’s waiting arms. You’re welcome, Riley.
Viktor held the shotgun on a stunned Davies, who was aiming a weapon right back at him. Neither man looked ready to back off. My pocket pistol may not have the oomph of their weapons, but it’d get the job done. If he didn’t back down, I’d be joining the game.
“I change my mind! I want the older one!” yelled Davies from a mere ten feet away.
“You’re a coward and a pig!” I replied ferociously. “You’d have to sleep with both eyes open.”
“Your ideals are outdated, sweetheart! There’s really no choice at this point. I know who you are and what you can do. You’ll be my ticket to take over in the new world order,” he boasted confidently. If I were capable of that kind of takeover, what would I need him for?
“Like what? I’d be your queen or something?” I scoffed irreverently at him. It wasn’t surprising when he bristled at that.
By this point his gun was pointed firmly at me and he motioned me to start walking into Eden. I took a few steps in his direction and pulled the gun from my pocket. Before the sergeant could react, I’d already fired at him. At first I thought the shot had missed, but with a wheezing breath, blood trickled from his mouth and he fell limply to the pavement.
Viktor gave me an approving look. “Nice job.” Toting the shotgun over his shoulder, he added, “Now let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Catfish came from the shadows with a shocked look on his face. “Little girl, you better get going before more soldiers come.”
Enough said. We got the hell out of there. As I looked back at the scene from the backseat of the Suburban I saw Catfish dragging the body into an alley. There would be tough times in Eden when the soldiers returned. Hopefully the man who took over would be a more just leader. The surviving Eden residents would know to clear out until the zombies moved on. What they thought of the napping zombies, I didn’t know. Davies was the only one who’d made the connection between me and the rumored zombie puppeteer. Everyone else had been too busy trying not to die.
Inevitably, there’d be more rumors. Damn.
I fell asleep for what seemed only a moment, with Kyle’s head in my lap, but when I awoke we were back at our cabin refuge outside the ruins of Breckenridge. We unloaded the supplies, lit a fire in the hearth and Paulina set to cooking some soup. Kyle had already been settled in the room he shared with Justin and Alexi. Sleep was the best thing for him at this point. It was late and the rest of us would be hitting the sack after we’d eaten dinner.
I could sense the eyes of my family watching me. I’d never killed a living person before, that job was usually Viktor and my dad’s. In all honesty, I felt no remorse. It was him or me, and I chose me. I’d always choose me in a situation like that. There was more plaguing the world than just the undead. The living caused their fair share of destruction.