by Maya Riley
I raised my dagger and drove it into its skull. The body jerked a few times before stilling. I never thought I would actually feel sorry for any one of these things.
Lincoln came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I met him once,” I whispered. “He saved me from my first run-in with some scavers.”
His chin rested on top of my head and I leaned into him. Unthinking, I inhaled a deep breath and immediately began to gag and cough. “Holy hell,” I coughed out. Lincoln stood there, dumbfounded, as I fell to the floor in a coughing fit.
“What’d you do to her?” Adam’s smooth voice held a hint of worry.
“Is she choking to death just to get away from us?” Mateo’s stern voice demanded an answer.
Lincoln held his hands out to the side with a look of confusion.
Gag. “No.” Cough. “It’s.” Heave. “Just…” Deep breaths.
Catching my breath, I placed a hand on my chest. I was sure my face was beet red from that little episode, the blood having rushed to my head as I nearly hacked up a lung. I looked pointedly at each of the guys. “We stink.”
Giving Lincoln an apologetic look, I continued, “I know showering every day isn’t realistic anymore, but I didn’t mean to inhale your entire body odor.”
I fiddled with my favorite dagger as I lay on a bunk in the upstairs sleeping quarters. I was surrounded by the guys who were each in a bunk—with Adam in the one above me—and listening to the snores of him and Jonah. The latter was snuggled up next to my favorite bundle of fur on the bottom bunk near mine with Mateo on top. Lincoln got a bunk all to himself in between us.
Luckily, the fire station had one of those emergency showers where you pulled a chain and some water comes out for a short time. I didn’t know exactly how it worked when plumbing in general was gone, but this one was rigged up to withstand a rotter-pocalypse. Regardless of where the water came from, the slow stream of it was enough to give us some sense of personal hygiene.
Thanks to some bars of soap we’d scrounged up, we were able to briefly clean ourselves off enough to tolerate one another’s smell.
Still plagued by my trust issues, I kept a dagger no more than two feet away from me. Showering was the biggest state of vulnerability, and I wasn’t taking any chances. Lincoln even stood guard outside the door, and I did feel better knowing there were four very capable guys and Puppy out there, ready to take on any surprise attack in an instant.
This place was better than the cabin I’d been staying at. Here, we each had a bed and a somewhat working shower.
I proceeded to pick at my fingernails while I mused everything over in the bunk. Lincoln lay close to me, since he’d taken it upon himself to play the role of my protector while I was stuck with them. It was a stark contrast to our first meeting where he let me know he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I was infected. Which, actually, I would gladly welcome if it came to that. Becoming a rotter was a fate worse than death.
Looking over to see Jonah snuggling with Puppy, I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my lips as a little doggy snore came out with each exhale. “Hey, could you teach me a few signs? Maybe just some of the basics to start with.”
Mateo paused and looked up from fiddling with his own knife. “You want to communicate with Jonah?”
His features were shadowed in the waning light, but I could still make out the slight look of confusion that stretched across his face. “Yeah, I mean if I’m going to be kept captive and all that, I may as well make some things easier.” I attempted a slight joke to keep things light, but I have the feeling it didn’t work too well. He didn’t come off as the playful type.
Mateo touched thumb to fingertips and lifted his hand to his mouth. “Eat. This means to eat. The sign for food.” I mimicked his gesture, and then he held up three fingers and put that against his mouth next. “Water.” He placed his palm against his chest as he moved it in a circle, “Please.” Then he touched his hand to his chin before bringing it downwards. “Thank you.” I mimed each sign with him, committing them to memory. He stopped and looked at me. “Those are just a handful of signs, but they’re a good place to start.” Evidently done with our conversation, he dropped his back to the floor and squirmed around until he found a comfortable position. He’d apparently reached his limit of dealing with me.
“Thank you,” I exhaled while signing the word, grateful for the small lesson. He closed his eye and turned his head away from me. Putting the dagger under my pillow, I rolled over to watch the stars in the night sky out the large window. I repeated the few signs over and over again until sleep consumed me.
Missing Assistant
Roots stuck out of the ground, trying to trip us as we made our way through the thick vegetation. This desolate new world was not at all like the one we had imagined and had been striving toward with all the endless research and experiments.
If only Dr. Hannity had waited for me, I would be safe back at the labs right now continuing my work, and she would still be alive. Instead, I spent every day trying not to be killed. The rate at which humanity changed after the outbreak was astounding, and it wasn’t at all the change we were going for. It took practically no time at all for the true savage to shine through for some survivors.
My brain played back the memories of my first encounter. The horror in the little girl’s eyes as her father begged for her life. Memories that haunted me while awake, and nightmares that plagued me while asleep.
Traumatic events could bring out the worst in people, but this one was going too far.
The sun glinted off of some windows ahead and we moved closer. “It’s a house,” Michael stated beside me. “Let’s check it out. We can see if there’s anything left to loot.”
We approached the big, blue house and walked up the white porch steps. The door stood ajar, which wasn’t a good sign that we’d find anything of use. Still, we walked to the doorway and peered inside.
“Gods…” My jaw dropped in shock. I’ve seen and killed rotters, but I wasn’t prepared for the scene in front of me. The floor was littered in blood, organs, separated limbs, heads, and torsos. I had never seen a massacre like this. It was difficult to tell if there were any survivors, or if someone was lying amongst the dead.
“Holy hell.” Michael stepped up next to me. “What happened here? I haven’t seen so many rotters in one small space since the beginning of the outbreak. How… why are so many of them together…”
“Better question is,” I responded, “what is it that brought them all here?”
“Do you think this could have something to do with the girl?” Michael asked. “If she’s even closer than we’d thought…” He trailed off.
“Come on, let’s see if there’s anyone inside. If there’s someone still alive.” Carefully stepping over the dismembered bodies, we made our way across the room and began to search the house.
We needed to find our missing subject from years ago, the only one with the power to stop this madness and revert the world to its original dreariness.
Blyss
I awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the windows.
“Morning, B.”
I smiled at the nickname, wondering if Lincoln would stick around long enough to get the last two letters. The thought saddened me, and I realized how attached I was getting to them. Not good. It was safer to be alone, less people to let you down or stab you in the back. My trust issues still plagued my every waking moment, and I still had trouble accepting that I could count on others to be there for me, even though these guys had already proved that multiple times over. I didn’t want to feel like I had to rely on anyone else for survival, and still be strong enough on my own when needed. Although, general company wouldn’t be too bad. After all, they did have coffee… damn, I’d been alone so much that my standards had become really low.
Sitting up, I looked around, and sounds from below told me that the others were downstairs. Lincoln was leaning forward against the railing that lo
oked out onto the floor below, well, the half that was exposed to the overlook of the second floor anyway. Turning around to face me, he rested back against the railing. “How are you feeling?”
Bones cracked as I arched my back and stretched my limbs out, such an amazing feeling. I touched a hand to my braced ankle and hissed in pain. “Great.” My voice was high-pitched and strained, the words hissing out through clenched teeth.
His eyes bored into mine as concern etched his features. He strode over and knelt down at my feet, carefully undid the Velcroed brace, and unwrapped the bandage. His fingers were gentle, not wanting to cause me any extra pain.
I looked down to see a big red and swollen blob. Well, things became worse before they got better, right? It would heal soon, I had to be positive. Unfortunately, negativity was usually my go-to.
It might heal a little better if I could find some ice, but that’s one luxury in this godforsaken world that I wouldn’t see again until it snowed. With it being the end of winter and beginning of spring, I’d have to wait several more months unless Mother Nature decided to drop us a surprise.
My mouth turned down in a frown and I watched as Lincoln… was he measuring it? It looked like he was measuring the blob against the lengths of his fingers. I raised an eyebrow at the intensity of his gaze as he focused on my ankle. After another moment, he carefully rewrapped the bandage and closed the brace back around it before reaching into a bag and producing a bottle that looked like ibuprofen.
“This is an anti-inflammatory and should help with the swelling. I found it underneath a table up here, but it should still be good. Help with some of the pain too.” He popped the bottle open and handed me a few tablets.
I eagerly swallowed them down, ready for them to start working as soon as possible. Catching his unwavering stare, I asked, “What?”
“I was just surprised you didn’t need any water to wash all those down with,” he answered with a smirk.
“I’m chock-full of surprises.” I managed to keep a straight face. “Though, if my ankle isn’t any better by the time that bottle runs out, I could just chop it off. Then it wouldn’t hurt anymore. Well… eventually.”
I shrugged at my terrible attempt at a joke. Darkness crossed over his face and his smirk disappeared, leaving no trace behind. “You think missing a limb is funny? Something to make jokes about?” His voice was low and deep, tinged with a mixture of pain and anger.
“No, tha-that’s not what I meant. I’m so terrible at humor, I never even knew what a joke was until about a year ago and I still haven’t mastered it.” I knew I’d crossed a line somehow, I just didn’t understand where. “Not at all funny. I make horrible jokes sometimes without thinking. I don’t think it’s funny at all, I promise,” I tried to backpedal, but felt I wasn’t getting anywhere so I continued to go down in flames. “I honestly don’t know what to say to take it back and to express how much I suck at humor, er, or not humor.” I stared at him with pleading eyes, deciding that it may be better to remain speechless and let him talk.
The last thing I wanted to do was offend one of the few people who were looking out for me. I was stubborn enough to take care of myself in this world if needed, but these guys had somehow managed to warm a tiny corner of my heart, breaking away the barrier brick by brick.
His dark, coffee eyes bored into mine as he considered my words, my own eyes begging for understanding. I didn’t know exactly what was going on. After a moment of hesitation, he reached down to the hem of his right pant leg and rolled it up to his knee, exposing a leg made of metal, bolts, and screws. My jaw dropped as understanding dawned on me. My joke was way worse than not funny, it was unintentionally downright insulting.
I looked up to see him gauging my reaction, so I gave him a nod and a slight smile. “I see. I am so sorry, I’ll try my best not to make any more horrible jokes,” I whispered, full of regret.
With a nod of acceptance, he lowered the pant leg back down and we sat in uncomfortable silence.
“I suppose you want to know how this happened?”
I looked up at his words, and saw acceptance in his eyes. He understood that I didn’t intend to insult him. I would make it up to him if I found a way. “Only if you want to tell me.”
He looked out the window, the sunrays lighting his face through the glass. “It was a stupid decision that I’ll regret for the rest of my life. I was out at the bar, drinking away my pain after I’d caught my girlfriend sleeping with my brother. So, I decided to replace both of them with alcohol. I was going to keep drinking, not wanting to ever sober up. Another good buddy of mine came after me and kept me company for a while, until I got so drunk, I was picking fights with everyone around me. He wanted to get me out of there before the cops were called, or before somebody else beat some sense into me. He tried to get me into his car but I was such a stubborn fuck and went toward my motorcycle. He jumped on in front of me, demanding to drive no matter what vehicle we took. I didn’t even see the truck before we were hit head on. The driver of the pickup truck ran a red light. I can still hear David’s screams echoing in my mind. I was too drunk to even attempt to save him. I crawled out of that wreckage with one working leg, but he never made it out alive.” His eyes were hard as he fought back tears welling in his eyes. “I heard every whisper. Every rumor. Every piece of gossip. I noticed every look of pity in the eyes of friends and family. Neighbors. Even strangers around the college campus. It’s been a couple years now, but it was my fault that David was even there in the first place, so I deserved it all. I was just about to be at my breaking point, ready to lash out at everyone who dared to judge me, when the outbreak happened. Everyone started running for their lives, and suddenly there were more important things to talk about than the cripple guy.”
His face scrunched up with agony from the past, and I scooted across the floor until I was sitting next to him. His posture stiffened when my arms wrapped around his bicep and I leaned my head on his shoulder, ready to share his hurt. Nobody should have to shoulder that kind of pain alone. I understood how internal pain could slowly kill you, eating away at your soul from the inside out if you didn’t let yourself be free. I didn’t know his full past, but broken people could recognize one of their own. His body slowly relaxed, and I stroked a thumb up and down his arm in a soothing manner.
“Crazy thing is, those three guys down there were the only ones to treat me like normal. When my entire family abandoned me, a disgrace upon the family name, those guys remained the same pain in the asses that they always were.”
A chuckle bubbled out of my throat. I could just picture the other three guys going to see Lincoln stuck in bed and unable to do anything about it as they teased him, and probably even kicked his ass in video games. “Sorry,” I quickly spit out, not wanting him to think I was finding humor in another inappropriate time. “I was just thinking about those guys driving you insane in the way that guy friends seem to do.”
I felt a slight weight press down as his head settled on top of mine and my eyes drifted closed. I was never able to defeat my own demons from the past, but I’d at least help others fight theirs.
Sounds of smacking lips reverberated around the station as we all enjoyed a meal of crackers and peanut butter. Adam was enjoying his by the window to keep a lookout. My mouth quickly dried out and looking around, I spotted an opportunity. Catching Jonah’s eye, I lifted my hand and pressed three fingers to my mouth, smiling as his eyes grew wide. Wonder filled his features as he quickly tossed me a bottle of water with a lopsided grin stretching across his face. I threw him a smile and touched my hand to my chin before bringing it downward in the sign for ‘thank you.’
His face lit up with the biggest smile I’d ever seen before he lunged at me, tackling me to the ground in a bear hug. Laughing, I patted his back after we crashed to the floor. A bark was the only warning before Puppy joined in on the dog pile.
I looked up to meet Adam’s surprised gaze. “How did you know those?”
&n
bsp; “Mateo taught them to me last night.” That resulted in surprised glances.
“I didn’t expect her to actually remember them, let alone use any of them.” He tried to act nonchalant but his eyes glistened with awe. “This is actually the first time that anyone else, outside of his mom or us, has even tried to communicate with him using his own language. Everyone else ignored him once he lost his hearing and he could no longer communicate the way they wanted him to.”
I frowned at that and trailed my fingers through Jonah’s light brown hair, working on the knots. The world could be a cruel place in so many ways. I would learn all the signs I could.
That thought surprised me. I had only met these guys a few days ago, but I already felt connected to them. I didn’t know what I was going to do once my ankle was fully healed and I would be permitted to go out on my own again. I tightened my grip around Jonah and felt something hard press against my stomach. Oh...
“Hey, guys!” Adam’s voice called from his spot at the window across the station, and we all looked up to see that the rain had stopped. The sun was now shining through, drying up the earth. “Who wants to go play outside in the sun?” He headed for the door and the guys all jumped up. Jonah took off toward the door with an awkward limp, with Mateo behind him walking slowly. Lincoln bent down, slid his arms under my back and my knees, and then stood up, cradling me to his chest. “No one gets left behind just because they can’t walk.”
Well shit, my heart pumped an extra beat from that. He, more than anyone, understood the struggle of being immobile.
