by Burgy, P. J.
“Of course, they do,” she muttered. “So, that's what they were doing out there? Looking for me?”
“They figured you belonged to a fort close by and set up checkpoints along the roads.” He walked over to join her at the work bench. He too reached down, picked up the circuit board and looked it over only to set it down a moment after. “Their radio channel is all a-flutter with blurbs about you. You're a celebrity.”
“I guess my running days are over.”
“Now that you've got a big target on your back,” he said.
She shook her head, her voice lowering. “I don't care about that. I just don't want to lead them back here.”
“Back here? To your home, you mean?” His tone sounded amused.
“To my home.”
He snorted.
“Funny?” She met his eyes.
“It's nothing. I'm sorry.” His black pupils moved across her face. He sniffed, looking down at the work bench and the table. “It's just-”
“Spit it out, Rusty-my-man.”
“It's just, out of all the reasons to stop and settle down...” He shrugged, smiling at her. “Not the wear and tear of the endless roads, or the fear of Wailers, not even that you're being personally targeted by the Red Brethren, or the call of family and loved ones begging you to stop , your father told me , not any of those. No. It's for their safety, their sake, not your own.”
“I'm not that selfish, believe it or not.”
“I mean, you're going to stay put. Settle down.”
“I didn't say I'd be settling down, did I, huh? Just, I can't lead them back here. And why's that so funny?” She frowned.
“No, no, it's not. It's not funny. It's just... better than hiding. Better than running away. You're choosing them. You're choosing your family.” He shifted between his feet, clearly becoming uncomfortable. His lips moved wordlessly before he continued. “Do you still consider this fort a death trap, Kara?”
“Only if we don't defend it,” she replied. “As a family.”
“I'll help you defend it," he said.
“I guess that makes you family too, Russ.” She studied the way he reacted to her statement, and she saw him blink, his gaze lost somewhere far off.
He smirked, finally. “I'm sure your real family wouldn't like to hear you say that, Kara.”
“Why's that?”
“It doesn't matter.” He stepped away, his back to her, and directed his attention to the garage and all of the overflowing shelving along the walls. “Can't change what is.”
“But maybe you can.”
“Not in this case.”
“Dr. Hassel made a vaccine.” Kara felt the words spill out of her mouth. She placed her hand to her upper arm and watched Russell's shoulders tense. He was pivoting on his heel, slowly bringing himself around to face her again. “It's, it's just a trial right now, you know. We can't be sure unless one of us is exposed. That's what she called us to her clinic for. There isn't enough for everyone, just us fighting tonight. Like me. I may be immune.”
He blinked at her.
“Do you understand what I'm saying?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I'm saying I might be safe from you. You could stay.”
“No, I heard you, and I understand, but I'm saying No, Kara.” Russell's lips tightened across his teeth and he swung himself toward the Bella. He stalked over to the rover vehicle, tossed his helmet to the ground, and placed both hands on one of the dark, highly reflective windows. “It isn't just that I might infect you. It isn't just that.”
“Then what is it?”
He turned to her, teeth bared, his black spit visible at the corners of his mouth. “I'm a predator, an animal. A killer. I can't predict when and where my mind will go. You've seen it. What don't you understand about that?”
“You aren't one of those things.”
“But I am though. And immune or not, in an instant I could lose myself, and come out of it and see your body there, what's left of you, and , No, I don't care if you've got a vaccine, or if it works. It doesn't matter.” Russell lowered his head, turning from her. “And don't think for a second it's just self-pity, I know you're thinking it, but it's the truth and deep down you fucking know it too.”
“I'm sorry, Russ,” she whispered.
“I am too," he said.
“If the vaccine does work though, it will save a lot of lives.” She set her helmet down on the work table and then folded her arms over her chest, her fingers on her shoulders. “And you know, after tonight, assuming we all live…”
“Assuming we all live,” he echoed.
“You could visit.”
“Probably not.”
“You're the worst, do you know that?” Kara forced a smile and the two exchanged glances.
He managed a distant smile. “I've been finding that out.”
“I'll make sure I say goodbye to you proper before you leave then,” she said.
“Thank you.” He made his way around the Bella.
“If it's the best I can offer you, I'll do it.”
He snorted, amused. “It's what I'll take.”
“Did you, did you eat?”
“Yeah, though I don't think your brother appreciated how much.”
“I'm sure he'll get over it,” she mused, not bothering to track on his movements any longer. She instead glanced out and away.
“What’s this?”
She turned around and saw that he was holding a framed picture. She smirked, walking over to where he stood. He had found the picture on the shelf in the corner. She reached out, touching the corner of the weathered, faux-metallic frame. Those faces were like ghosts to her, familiar but out of a dream. A dark woman with sparkling brown eyes and a tan man with a warm, inviting smile. Her own face, so young that she hardly recognized herself, grinned back at her. The little family was happy. “Dad went back and got it for me. He said it was important to have it, to remember them by.”
“Your parents?”
“Yeah.”
He flipped the frame over. “Melendez family, daughter Kara.”
“It’s funny, last names. Some people still keep them.”
“It’s a way to remember, I suppose,” Russell muttered.
“What’s your last name? Do you remember it?”
“Oh,” he replied, and then smiled. He set the frame back down on the table. “You’ll laugh.”
“No, I won’t. Come on.”
“It’s Crook,” he told her.
She smiled. “Crook? Like, criminal, crook?”
“I told you that you’d laugh.”
“I’m not. It’s just, I didn’t see you as a Crook.” She shrugged.
“My middle name is Eugene,” he added.
“That sounds very proper.”
“Eugene, proper? Well, I’ll take the compliment.” He chuckled. “So, what's with the Yusha stuff? I heard your father call you that. Is that a nickname or something?”
“Oh.” She exhaled. “Yusha Senshi. It means Hero or Warrior. Dad gave us all names like that, I don't know. Gencho and Tengen. Yusha. Our call names on the radio when we were rovers. I guess it made us sound more bad ass or something. I stopped using the name when we settled down in Blue Lagoon, because honestly it felt like Yusha had died that day, y'know? Dad, my brothers, they still hold onto her, and I guess I can't blame them, I miss her too. I felt like I was more... myself then.”
“It suits you, but I think I'll stick to Kara if it's okay.”
“Yeah. Do you have any pictures? Back home, I mean?” she asked.
“Ah, well.” He sniffed and then shook his head. “No. I don't.”
“What color were your eyes, Russ?”
He contemplated her question for a moment. “Blue.”
“What shade of blue?”
“Light, I think. Clear. I remember that much.”
“Blue eyes.” She laughed a little and then made her way over to the open garage door. Outside, the sk
y was getting darker and darker, the stars becoming visible. She saw the others down at the lake, the rafts completed and floating on the shore while men and women spoke among themselves and pointed toward the front gate. “We should go to them.”
“You don't want them to suspect anything,” he said, “We've both been missing for quite some time now, after all. Who knows what they think?”
“I've never had to explain myself.” She shot him a look, her grin wide. She was amused to see Russell grinning too, though his was a bit more lopsided than hers. “And I won't start today.”
“You're not going to tell your old man that you're completely smitten with a Wailer?” he asked her, picking up his helmet from the ground before putting it back on. He lifted the visor.
“You're an asshole, Rusty, you know that?”
“I'm just saying, if you're already a celebrity to the Red Brethren, why stop there? Hitch yourself up to me and you'll be infamous among your fort folk too.” He grinned. “Blue Lagoon, home of Kara Melendez, Brethren killer, and Russell Crook, her Wailer husband. Bring them all here to get a look at us, or take a shot at us.”
“Yeah, because I want all that attention,” she muttered. “Let's bring them all here.”
She froze.
He was laughing softly.
“Bring them all here...” she whispered.
“Hm?”
Kara's eyes found his face. “Russell, I have an idea.”
“You're all very lucky that I retained my lightning fast reflexes,” Tengen said, swinging around his blades in a circular motion, his posture tilted, his feet apart on the grass. He brought his katana blades in front of his chest, crossing them. “It's like riding a bike; you never forget how to slice a Wailer in twain.”
“Why not just shoot them?” Russell asked. “Seems more efficient.”
“Is that a real question?” Tengen turned to look at the taller man, meeting his own reflection in Russell's visor. “Guns lack elegance, my photosensitive friend. Aim and shoot, aim and shoot, what about class? What about skill and finesse? No. I bring these fine young ladies to battle.”
Russell adjusted his gloves. “They are female?”
Tengen spared Russell a cursory glance and then rolled his eyes. “Obviously. Women are dangerous creatures, Russell. Mysterious. Deadly. I may not tangle with them, but I respect their fierce prowess in battle. Hence, my blades are ladies.”
Kara snorted at the both of them and searched the fort grounds for her father, stalking off toward the dock first, helmet at her side. She passed through the guards, the men and women prepared to defend their home, maybe fifty or more heavily armed, armored soldiers waiting on the grass, ten or so in the air in the look-out nests.
The citizens of Blue Lagoon were on the island, gathered to watch, the bridge between the two docks retracted and tied fast. Men, women, and children stood there, their forms melding together into a nervous cluster, a crowd of anxious people all intent on watching what was about to happen. Kara could see Lena there, Brooke beside her with her hand on the girl's shoulder, Aiden held in her other arm with his little legs on her hip. Lena raised a hand and Kara waved back at her, trying to keep her smile sincere.
The stars were out and the red lights were kicking on, the generator running quietly near the energy station next to the garage. It was deadly silent out there, outside of the walls, and she imagined the Wailers waiting until the last sliver of sunlight slipped away before emerging from their hiding spots in Pleasant Tree. Renshen Bui was there with Gencho, and the two were talking in voices just low enough to be inaudible. When Renshen saw her he signaled to Gencho.
“Still got a little time. Make sure y'know which raft is yours if we gotta fall back,” Renshen said.
Kara eyed him. “Yeah, I remember. I was thinking we could prep the Bella.”
“Ain't room to drive her around, but if we need her guns we'll pull her out into the yard.” Renshen shrugged and then placed his hands on his hips. “Though I still don't know how they figger on gettin' in.”
“They're smart. They'll have a plan,” she said.
“How long you think we got?” Gencho asked. He was dressed in his own personal armor, his arms bare save for the long gloves. It had been so long since she had seen her brother in his black and red hunting gear that she had to give him a double-take, surprised that it still fit him around the middle. His hair was up, tied into a braid. Gencho's rifle swung at his right hip, his machete at his left.
“The run from Pleasant Tree usually took me four or so hours,” Kara said. “Without stopping, I mean. These things run faster, so, maybe two hours?”
“We got the lamps ready. Snipers in the nest. We'll get up on the wall and take point,” Gencho said. “From what you say you saw at Pleasant Tree, doesn't look like they were armed.”
“Meredith's kind detests guns. They consider them... unsporting, in a way,” Russell said.
Gencho chuckled. “Plenty sporting to me. Plenty good fun. We'll wipe them out long before sunrise.”
“You're very cocky,” Russell said to Gencho.
“I have reason to be. Does that upset you? Us killing yours?”
Kara scowled. “Gencho, shut up.”
“You really on our side?” Gencho took a short drag off of his cigarette, his green eyes locked on Russell's visor.
“He is,” Kara said, cutting in before Russell had a chance to respond.
Gencho's gaze moved back and forth between his sister and Russell. He licked his teeth quickly, wrinkled his nose and then shook his head. “I want to hear him say he's prepared to kill those things out there. I want to hear him say it, not you, Yusha.”
“I am,” Russell replied.
Twenty or so feet away, Broderick Tate appeared, completely covered from head to toe in his gear. Kara only knew who it was because of the size of the man. He was a giant compared to most of the other guards. She saw Miranda sticking close by him and scowled, fully aware of why the woman wanted to hang close to the massive warrior.
Miranda didn't want to be out in the yard, she wanted to be on the island, and she was repeating those declarations over and over, her voice growing louder. She was insisting on taking point on a raft ahead of time, before the attack even came.
“I need you to calm down.” Tate raised his voice and it shocked Miranda into stopping dead in her tracks. As she looked around at the other guards, he commanded her attention. “Miranda! You aren't getting on a raft yet.”
“I'm not saying that, I was just saying that I-” Miranda stuttered, her eyes darting over the visible faces and closed helmets of her comrades. “Broderick Tate, I can't. I can't do this. I'm afraid.”
“And you think I'm not?” Tate asked. He saw that their conversation had drawn attention and he caught Kara's eyes before looking to Renshen Bui. “You think they aren't? Miranda, if you want to abandon the front, that's fine. Go guard the citizens.”
“She's swimmin' if she's goin' out there,” Renshen hollered. “I ain't havin' 'em swing the bridge back out.”
Hooper came jogging down from the guard shack. “Miranda, we need you out here.”
“I can't! I can't!” Miranda pleaded. “You've got one of them, don't you? He's strong, isn't he? He's a good as at least ten of us, right? Why are we risking all of our lives when we've got one of them? I'm not a killer! I've never even shot at one of them! I guard the inner perimeter wall. Why am I out here?”
“Calm down, Miranda, listen-” Tate held his hands up toward her.
Miranda stepped backward, toward the shore, away from Hooper and Tate. “No! No! These are smart ones, you said. They're smart. They're going to get in. They're going to kill us! They're going to kill us all, just like they killed everyone in Pleasant Tree! I don't want them to kill me! I don't want to die! I don't want to get ripped apart! They'll get in. You let one in! You said they tricked Pleasant Tree, and they let one in, and you let one in too! We're all going to die in here!”
Kara stalk
ed over to Miranda, her lips tight across her teeth, reached the other woman and then, in one smooth motion, backhanded Miranda across her face. Miranda fell down to the ground just as Tate, having realized too slow what was happening, grabbed for Kara and pulled her away from the mewling woman on the grass. Kara's eyes narrowed. “They can hear you on the island, Miranda!”
“Whoa!” Gencho ran over, shoving Tate. “Let her go!”
“Step back.” Tate released Kara, turning toward Gencho.
“You let one in…” Miranda was sobbing.
“She's scared.” Hodges appeared, helmet off.
“Then let her go hide on the island,” Kara hissed.
Gencho took Kara's shoulders and pulled her back. “Yusha, what's wrong?”
“If someone doesn't want to stand with us tonight, then let them run,” Kara muttered, and then swallowed thickly, her eyes closed. She smelled the cigarette smoke on Gencho Jones, but did not detect the stringent scent of alcohol. Her eyes opened, heavy lidded, and she looked around at the guards all gathered there. They had all come over and formed a circle. So many familiar faces, their helmets held at their sides.
Russell, his visor down, stood there like a dark statue.
Kara swallowed again, placing a hand on Gencho's chest. “I've run every day of my life since we stuck roots here. My family stopped moving and I couldn't. I never wanted to call this place my home, until now. I never wanted to slow down, or look behind me. I never wanted to live in a barrel surrounded by monsters. But here we are. Here I am. I'm here with my family. With my friends. And this is my home. I will fight for it, like Ash fought for his. Like Jim. And if I die fighting, I die with my family, and my friends. But if you want to run, just go.”
“Inspirational,” Tengen said, beginning to clap.
“Oh, shut up,” Kara muttered, her grin weak.
“If Miranda doesn't want to be out here, we shouldn't make her,” Tate said.
Hooper frowned. “We need all hands on deck.”
“I'll take her over on a raft and come back.” Tommy Reed stepped over, shrugging his shoulders in response to the glances he received. “I can understand why she's afraid. Better to lose the toe than the leg, they say.”
“What?” Miranda asked, eyes wet with tears. She pushed herself off the ground.
