The Last of Us

by D B Bray

  “I don’t see anything,” Jack said, pulling a piece of dried meat from his bag.

  “I’m not sure, but I think there’s something about the word Independence. See how the “I” is straight, and the other letters are different?” Edward asked.

  Jack took the note back and looked at it again, concentrating on the lettering. His eyebrows scrunched, and his forehead wrinkled.

  “What does it mean?” he asked.

  “Well, the note says it’s hidden, but not far. I always heard rumor of a place that used to be very important,” Edward said, staring off into the distance.

  “And where’s that?” Jack asked.

  “It’s a place few men have been to.” Edward paused and then continued. He crossed his fingers over his face. “They say it’s cursed.”

  Jack laughed. “Cursed, huh? What place is that?”

  “Independence Hall,” Edward replied.

  Across the city, Red winced as one of his medics bandaged his broken hand. His army recovered from the uprising and recaptured the escaped slaves, all except two. Red stared at the candle and grunted as his medic tied the last knot on the bandage. With his arm in a sling, he tightened and released his other fist. One of his commanders walked into the room covered in mud.

  “What news do you have?” Red asked.

  The commander glanced at his shoes and cleared his throat. “None, your eminence.”

  Red glanced at him and then back to the dancing flame. “I see. Have you tracked them?”

  The commander cleared his throat again. “We tried, but Edward French guided them. So—.”

  Red slammed his fist on the table and shot to his feet. “I don’t want excuses. I want results. You’ve been with me for too long, Vern.” He pointed his finger in Vern’s face. “You know what I think about failure.” He took another step forward. “Find them!”

  Vern saluted and ran to find men for the mission. Red sat back down and took a sip of water and sighed. He should never have put Lucy in the cage with the others. As his niece, she deserved better, but she had been disrespectful lately. He killed her father for the coup he attempted a few years before, and ever since, she despised him.

  As luck would have it, he was getting ready to bring her back to the cathedral the night they escaped. He knew he should have hung Toby with the guards for his refusal to cooperate. But Toby did slip up and tell him why he and his brother were in town, though.

  He walked over to a cabinet and looked around for a minute. Finding what he was looking for, he sat back down. He unfolded the seal skin rag and stared at the book. It was his mother's favorite treasure, a book that told the story of the founding of America. It wasn’t his beloved treasure because she died before she could help him learn to read; he preferred his rifle.

  “Vern, get in here,” Red said.

  Vern rushed back into the room after rallying his men. Red handed him the book and sat back down.

  “What would you like me to read?” Vern asked.

  Red drank the rest of his water. “Read me the part about a Constitution. We have to figure out Edward’s next move,” he said, chewing a tobacco leaf.

  Vern cleared his throat and read for some time. After a few pages, he spoke about the signing in Independence Hall. Red held a finger up.

  “Read that part again.”

  Vern opened the book back up. “The building where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed is in Philadelphia. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was signed by thirty-nine delegates from all states, except Rhode Island, who abstained. The document lays out the framework of the government and delineates how the three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial, will work together to make a lasting union.”

  Vern closed the book and handed it back to him. Red walked over to an old map of the city, nailed to a grungy wall, and ran his finger across the buildings.

  He waved Vern over. “What’s that say?”

  Vern touched the small letters. “Independence Hall,” he muttered. He studied the map a few more moments and then turned around. “It’s Independence Hall, boss. That’s in the quarantine zone,” Vern said.

  “Yes, and that’s where they’re heading,” Red said.

  Vern didn’t meet Red’s gaze.

  Red bristled. “If you want to stay, stay. If you want to come, then come,” he said, walking out to the courtyard.

  Vern chased after him and regained his courage. “What are your orders, boss?”

  “I want that paper. If the boy gets it, every slave we have will turn against us. Do you want to work the concrete line?” Red asked.

  Vern lowered his head. “No,” he whispered.

  “Since you're incompetent, I will go with you to take care of this problem. But mark my words, Vern. If I think your purposely not finding them because you don’t believe in the cause I.will.kill.you,” Red said, sounding out the last part for effect.

  “But, boss…”

  “No butts, Vern. Assemble the men in the courtyard.”

  Vern lifted the bent trumpet he carried on his hip and blew several notes. The men poured into the square and formed ranks. Red paced at the front of the square, hands behind his back.

  Vern shouted at the top of his lungs, “All hail, King Red.”

  Red gave a sinister grin. No matter how many times he was called king, it never got old. (He was no closer to a king than any other average person.) He paced for a few more moments, relishing in his worship.

  “I need my men on guard. We’re pulling out in a few minutes, and we will be crossing into the quarantine zone.”

  A few gasps and grumbles poured out of the crowd. Red sensed their dissention and fired his handgun into the air.

  “Anyone here challenging my authority?” he shouted. Silence greeted his question. “That’s what I thought. As I was saying, we will be going after Edward French and my niece, Lucy. Not a hair on Lucy’s head will be harmed, and if one is, I’ll execute the man who is responsible.”

  Red glanced at Vern and sneered. “Since Vern and his men are too incompetent to capture Edward, my niece, and the two boys, I’ll be going along to supervise.”

  He could feel Vern’s cold hard stare before he turned around. Vern’s face flushed red as he averted his eyes. With a smug look, Red turned back to his men.

  “Any questions?”

  He heard some of his men clear their throats, their eyes downcast.

  “I thought so,” Red said.

  Chapter 6

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care if it’s haunted,” Lucy said.

  “You mean cursed,” Edward mumbled, sitting alone by the fire.

  “Whatever. All I know is the dead guy in the coffin said we need to find it,” Lucy said, warming her hands. “So, let’s go get it.”

  Edward looked up from the fire. “I can only tell you what I know. I’ve never been there because it’s in a part of the city that was cordoned off after the Cataclysm. The graveyard took a direct hit from the bombs. If we go in there…”

  “What?” Jack asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

  “What be in them ruins, Jack me boy, shouldn’t be roused from its slumber.”

  “If that’s where it is, then that’s where it is, Edward. I’m with Lucy. How about you, Tob?” Jack asked.

  Toby stared into the fire. “Tob.”

  He looked up. “Yeah, whatever you think,” Toby said, the fire casting a dark shadow across his face.

  “You okay, Tob?” Jack asked, offering him the water skin.

  “I just want to go home.”

  Jack sat down and put his arm around Toby’s shoulder, hugging him close. “I know Tob, but we don’t—-.”

  “Have a home, I know. Let’s get this thing you need and go back to Fort Camden. It was nice there, Jack. I liked Jasmine. She was really nice,” he said, pulling his knees closer to his chest.

  “I know she was,” Jack said.

  “Plus, she had the Harry Potter se
ries, the one the rector always talked about. I want to read it, sounds cool,” Toby said.

  Edward knelt in front of Toby and pulled something out of his pocket, his large grubby hands hiding it. “Got something for you.”

  Toby’s eyes lit up. Edward rolled the gold bullion coin across his knuckles. “This, be the last of the Spanish gold I found. Wherever you go, this will buy your way out.”

  He handed it to Toby to gawk at its magnificence. “We’ll find more together. What do you say?” Edward asked.

  Toby smiled, the gap in his teeth glaringly present. “Thank you, Edward.” He pocketed the coin and stood up. “Let’s go get this thing.”

  The group moved out before the sun rose. Edward led them to the perimeter of Old Town, a place all but decimated during the war. The sun's rays broke through the dark gray fog, blinding them.

  Edward broke the lock off a thick rusted chain at the quarantined gates and edged it open. A loud creak emanated from it as it swung inward, breaking the silent morning air.

  “Jeez, that’s loud. I thought you said everything was always sunny in Philadelphia,” Jack said, bringing his rifle to his shoulder.

  Edward’s face turned white. “Figure of speech,” he said, staring into the mist.

  Jack shrugged, stepped in front of Edward, and walked through the gate.

  A few thin deer grazed around the center of the square fifty yards in front of them. Jack watched a large black animal charge out of the overgrown weeds and bring down all three deer as the rest of the group followed him in. He moved the rifle crosshairs over the beast and then brought it back down.

  “What is it?” Toby asked, stepping behind Edward.

  “A two-headed black bear,” Jack hissed.

  Edward took a step back and crossed his fingers in front of his face. “I told you this place be cursed.”

  Jack heard of the bears growing up, their dual heads making them twice as dangerous. He listened to Lucy’s heavy breathing behind him.

  “Can you take the shot?” Lucy asked.

  “Beyond my skill level. We only have a few bullets left, and I don’t want to miss.” He handed her the rifle. “You’re a dead shot, and if you can’t hit it, we can’t go in there,” Jack said.

  She brought the rifle to her shoulder and aimed. Her breathing slowed, and her index finger twitched as she caressed the trigger. She took a deep breath, and the rifle recoiled. The bear reared up and roared, then sagged to the ground.

  Lucy smiled and threw the gun back to Jack. She walked past him toward her prize, her shoulder grazing his. He felt her hair brush his cheek.

  She is—-.

  “Ya’ll coming?” she asked.

  Jack snapped back to reality and followed her into the square. She put her arms across her chest and stood with a smug look on her face. Jack saw a slight smirk at the corner of her lip.

  “Beat that,” she said, cutting her eyes at Jack.

  The bear lay sprawled over the deer, the two heads resting side by side in a perfect ‘V.’ She pulled the skinning knife from her belt and went to work, the others helping where they could. Edward kept a watchful eye on the forest. The slightest wind against the leaves from the west kept his attention. They worked for several more hours skinning the animals, then moved to the ridgeline overlooking Independence Hall.

  A clock hung upside down from the steeple, the remnants of a bygone age. The building was tall and mostly decimated. Vast chunks of brick lay strewn about the courtyard, the window panes shattered. A monument of George Washington still stood, (well most of him anyway.) His left arm was broken off, and half his skull had crumbled. There were bullet holes and chunks of shrapnel throughout the statue's torso.

  Jack stared at it, wearily, and then at the building. “There can’t be anything in there, right?”

  Edward didn’t respond as he too stared at the building. “There be ghosts in there, Jack.”

  Lucy laughed and pushed Jack forward. “Don’t worry. We’ll protect you.”

  Jack walked in front of everyone, and Edward brought up the rear. Every few hundred feet, they would stop, and Edward would glance in each direction, ensuring nothing would surprise them. After half an hour, they reached the courtyard.

  Independence Hall was massive, even its crumbling steeple, a sight to behold. The front had caved in, and osprey nests were scattered across the rusted beams. A screech pierced the air above them when an owl, the size of an eagle, swooped down on them. Jack brought the rifle to his shoulder and ended the threat.

  Edward sighed. “I told you this place be haunted.”

  Jack shook his head and picked the owl up by its talons and shoved it in his pack. He turned toward Independence Hall and walked through the broken iron panels.

  Lucy hurried after him, taking Toby by the hand. Edward walked with his back to the building, a cautious eye trained on the landscape. He thought he heard another howl behind them. He scanned the tree line, shrugged, and then followed everyone in.

  The inside of the hall was destroyed; a creepy silence made their steps even louder. The double oak doors lay side by side on the ground in front of them, large holes in each one. Jack stepped on one of them, and hundreds of cockroaches scattered.

  Yuck, this place is filthy.

  Any valuables had been looted long ago. The grimy, soot-stained walls had contamination falling off them, catching the light as they floated above him.

  “This place gives me the willies,” Toby said.

  “It’s alright, Tob, we just need to find the piece of paper we’re looking for,” Jack said, kicking a glass bottle out of his path.

  A broken chandelier lay in the center of the room between two fireplaces. The fireplaces had been destroyed, and rotting boards lay across them haphazardly. The beautiful wooden banister at the front of the room was broken in sections, the termites large enough for Jack to see.

  “It looks like the Devil roared through here,” Edward said.

  Jack rolled his eyes.

  Toby walked to one of the fireplaces and ran his fingers across the masonry work. The porous material caught his fingertips as he felt the grooves. A large hole caught his attention, and he bent down.

  “What do you think, Tob?”

  Toby turned around and smiled. “It’s beautiful,” he said.

  As Toby turned back around, a rat scurried from its hiding place. He yelped and tripped as he backed up. Jack put his finger to his lips, shook his head, and turned back to what he was doing.

  He gazed through the shattered windows on the side of the building and walked over to the wall. He found bits of wood and iron mixed in with the bricks lining the floor.

  “So, where do we begin?” Edward asked.

  Jack looked around the room and shrugged. “Beats me.” He looked across the hall into the adjacent room. “Edward, I’ll check in here.”

  Jack maneuvered through the room and crossed into the next. Between two windows in the center of the room, he saw a white bench with several chairs thrown on it. To his right was a wooden structure with three pews. He sat down on the creaking wood and stared at the deteriorating wall behind the chairs.

  Lucy joined him and sat down, a strand of her hair falling across her face. She smiled at Jack as she tucked it behind her ear.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  Jack shrugged and kept staring at the wall. “It has to be in here,” he muttered.

  He got up, climbed over the bench, and touched different sections of the wall, running his fingers through the grooves.

  Nothing here, he thought and sat back down.

  “I’m going to check someplace else,” Jack said with a sigh.

  Toby walked into the room with Edward. He tripped as he walked over to Lucy and knocked a piece of iron into the wall. The iron bar thumped the wall, scattering plaster and wood in every direction. Lucy sprang to her feet and caught him before he did a faceplant on the brick covered ground.

  “You okay, Tob?”
she asked.

  “Yeah, sorry.”

  He brushed himself off and looked for Jack. Edward walked up from behind and looked at the damage to the wall.

  “Is that supposed to look like that?” Edward asked, pointing at the wall.

  They all studied the large hole in the plaster. “Jack, hey, Jack!” Toby shouted.

  Jack rushed in from the other room. “I just found a crumbling stairwell in the back room that must lead to the steeple,” he said

  He eyeballed Toby, then the wall, and said, “Oh, what did you do this time, Tob?”

  “Nothing.”

  Jack chuckled. “Always innocent, aren’t you, Tob?”

  While they talked, Edward walked over to the wall and threw the iron rod out of his way. He pushed his fingers in the hole and tore out the cracked plaster. He viewed the area, grabbed a chair, and smashed it against the wall, sending more plaster dust into the air. A small lead box lay in a little cubby on a makeshift shelf.

  Edward yanked it free and brought it over to them. Jack took it and exhaled sharply. He eyed everyone’s excited faces. The light caught Lucy’s hair just right, and he noticed how pretty she was. Edward snapped his fingers and brought him back to reality.

  “When you’re done staring at her. You can open it,” he said.

  Jack’s face flushed red, his embarrassment hard to hide, but if Lucy noticed she didn’t show it. The sweat dripped from Jack’s brow as he opened the box, his fingers twitching. Inside lay a plastic bag with a large decaying yellow folded piece of paper inside.

  Carefully, he opened it and read it out loud;

  We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

  Toby clapped his hands. “Is that it?”

  “The first piece,” Jack said, to Toby’s disappointment.

  He folded the document carefully, put it back in the plastic bag, and then tucked it into his knapsack. He noticed a handwritten note at the bottom of the box. His fingers shook as he lifted it up.