by Tahnee Fritz
“Tell me,” he begins, “how does this cure of yours work? I have a few subjects I would like to test it on immediately.”
“Why don’t you come in here and I’ll show you firsthand how it works.” I pass him a snide smile.
He brushes my suggestion off his shoulder and asks, “Do you have to bite them? Do you let them bite you or do you need a syringe to take the cure out of you? Just tell me how this works and I will be a more pleasant host.”
I keep my eyes focused on the tree not too far from my cage instead of the man standing before me. The leaves have already changed colors for the fall and some have started drifting to the ground. They are in a sloppy pile at the base of the tree. Winter will be here soon and with that even more death and ruin will come to the humans. More people die in the winter because the cold slows them down and they just freeze to death.
“If only I hadn’t killed your boyfriend back there,” Trevor gets my attention and I turn my eyes to his, “I could use him to get whatever I want from you. I saw the way you looked at him, the way you cried for his lifeless body at the gas station. He was more than just a boy to you.”
I keep my mouth closed and grit my teeth. I can’t let his words get to me. I can’t let the mere thought of Ryder cause me to break down. Looking weak isn’t ideal at a time like this. I just need to keep myself calm, force the rage in my heart from escaping through my mouth, and stay focused.
“No comment from the smart ass.” Trevor states with a smile. “Maybe the boy was a nobody after all.”
Okay Bridget. Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know a damn thing about Ryder or your life or anything. He’s a maniac who can’t get his head out of his overzealous ass to see how demented his plans of world domination truly are. Let him think what he wants. Let the anger and hatred build so when the time comes, I’ll have the power to take him down in one swing.
I don’t normally have these little pep talks with myself, but it felt needed today.
Trevor turns back to me and leans in, “You see these people out here? You see the looks on their faces? They are waiting for your cure. They want to see what you can do. Why don’t you give them what they came here for? Let them see the show.”
I look around at the people standing within twenty feet of me. They are simply voyeurs expecting something that will change the world. I’m sure some of them deserve to see what I have to offer. Maybe they’ve lived good lives and had no choice but to join Trevor in this little town. Maybe they want the same thing I do, a world without madness. Then I look back to Trevor and his men standing around him. He doesn’t deserve anything from me. Not even an answer for his many annoying questions.
He waits for my response. Several long seconds pass and his face scrunches into anger. His cheeks get flushed with red and his knuckles turn white as he grips the bars.
“The cure ain’t real!” I hear a man’s voice coming from the crowd and a few people turn to walk away.
“I can assure you that the cure is real!” Trevor shouts, “I will get her to show all of you what she can do. You will be surprised by the life she is able to breathe back into the undead.” Trevor faces his people and shouts at them.
I can’t help but let a little smile come to my face. His people are turning against him because he can’t do the one thing he promised them. These people came to see the cure and he apparently didn’t expect me to not cooperate. This small accomplishment is just enough to mask some of the depression flowing through my mind.
He spins around and glares at me, “I’ll get you to show me the cure. I can promise you that.”
“Good luck.” I say and he rushes away from the cage and heads for the school.
The rest of the crowd has gone already. A few still look over their shoulders, passing me one final glance before heading to their homes. Some are shaking their heads as they walk away. They are disappointed at the thought of seeing something so rare, yet having it ripped from their fingertips. The only two that remain are the little girl and her father.
Their eyes are glued to me and awe is written on both of their faces. The girl, Sarah, clutches the stuffed dog as well as her father’s hand and wants to get closer to the bars. I take a breath, letting her sweet child scent fill my nose. She is so innocent and curious about me. Her father is as well and he moves right along with her to get closer.
The guards have moved on to more important things. One lights up an old cigarette and starts a conversation with a tattooed woman leaning against the wall by the doors of the school. None of them bother to pay attention to the two people approaching me.
“Why would they do this to you if you’re not the cure like Trevor says you are?” the father asks quietly so only I can hear.
I take a few steps away from the brick wall toward him and reply, “Why would he do this to me even if I am the cure?”
The man raises his eyebrows and asks, “Good question. Are you?”
I shrug, unsure if I should let this man know the truth about me, “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. As long as I’m stuck in here the rest of the world will never know.”
“But they should know.” His daughter speaks up and I look down to meet her gaze. “Everyone should know. It’s good to have a cure.”
“Like it was good to have the cure that created the vampires and zombies? Maybe this new cure is just as bad as that one.” I reply, sounding harsher than I meant to.
Her father takes her hand and gently forces her away from me, “Whatever you are, maybe you deserve to be in there. How could you tell a little girl something like that?”
“You try having your entire life ripped away from you and see how you fucking feel.” I retort with anger to my voice.
He scowls at me and doesn’t bother responding. I watch as he pulls his daughter away from the cage and they head for the street nearby. There’s no sense in stopping them. I can’t convince them that I don’t belong in here. I can tell the little girl wants to believe that I am a good thing, but I have no reason to show them that I really am. No one in this place deserves to see me as anything but the harsh, sad person that Trevor has turned me into.
The good Bridget, the one whom certain people of the world have come to rely on, she is dying a slow death. She has nothing left to live for except the bitter future that awaits her while she’s trapped in this cage. Depression has set upon myself and it is erasing the nice girl I used to be. I guess losing the only person I had left to love was the one thing to suck every ounce of energy and hope away from me.
Despite the cure, I have absolutely nothing left to live for anymore.
* * *
Hours have passed. The world outside these bars drifts by me and there’s no stopping it. The sun fades below the horizon and stars have overtaken the sky. Not a sound can be heard or a light can be seen in this little town. The people have barricaded themselves indoors for the night. I could hear the locks of the houses near the school and the doors slamming shut so nothing can get inside. This place still reeks of humans and could draw a crowd of any creature this way, but so far I haven’t seen a single one of them.
The brick wall of this old high school is not comfortable to lean against at all. At least the grass is soft enough for me to sit on. I haven’t moved from this position since the last person disappeared into the school.
Those people in there are watching me. A camera is positioned at the top of the steel door and it is aimed right at the cage. The red light above the lens tells me that someone, somewhere in that place has an eye on me. There aren’t really many places for me to go being stuck in this cage.
Other than the loneliness, this town is infuriatingly quiet. I can’t hear crickets chirping or bats flying through the air or even a damn rabbit scurrying through the grass. This place dies at night and joins the rest of the world in the constant fear of facing a vampire or zombie. I hate the quiet, now more than ever. I can’t stand thinking about my past or asking myself a million questions that will never have an answer. My mind won’
t stop focusing on anything other than Ryder and it is draining every part of me that I wish to remain strong.
I lean my head on the bricks of the building and feel the sharp edges against my skin. I can’t see the sky from where I am sitting and I would love to get lost in the stars right now. They might be enough to take my mind off the constant madness I’m enduring. But there is nothing to help keep certain things from popping into my head and adding to this already ruined evening.
I failed with my life. I am one of the millions of people unlucky enough to walk this earth as a failure. The one person I had left on the planet to care about, the only thing that really mattered to me is dead and I’ll be stuck knowing that I failed him. I couldn’t be there for him when that bomb fell and took the very breath from his body and I couldn’t hate myself more for letting it happen.
How can I live with that thought always on my mind? How could I possibly go through my life knowing that I’ll never be happy again? That I’ll never find peace or safety in the hands of Ryder again?
Without Ryder, I really don’t have much left to live for. Sure I have the cure to distribute to the world and an entire race of people to save, but what’s the point? When this is all said and done, and humans have a place back at the top of the food chain, what’s left for me? An endless life filled with regret and hatred and the constant judgment from the rest of the world?
I’m sorry, but that’s not a future I consider something to look forward to.
Something hits my cheek and I open my eyes. Something wet is drifting down my face leaving a cold streak along its path. I blink another tear and shake my head from side to side. I feel like an idiot crying out here in the middle of this stupid cage while the people here are safe and sound in their warm beds. I guess it doesn’t matter how I feel anymore. No one is here to comfort me or take the bad feelings away. Everything that once brought fear to my life can make its way back and take over. Ryder isn’t here to stop it and Jason will never be good enough to even try.
Another tear slides down my cheek and I wipe my face on my shoulder to get rid of the evidence. I might be part of the undead monstrosity that roams the earth, but sadness can still find a way into my mind. It will always be here to destroy me, to make things much worse than they already are. I want to stop thinking about everything. I want my mind to shut down like it has in the past and never let me think of these painful thoughts again. It can take me to a place where I can be happy and maybe allow me to see the people I care about.
I would love to see my dad one more time. He could talk some sense into me and get rid of the misery I feel. He would tell me that even though things look bleak beyond repair, that I will find a way to end this. Maybe if he were here he would end it all for me. He could take his very own gun, press it to my head, and I would be more than willing to let him pull the trigger. He did it for Charlie and Maggie, he should be here to end my suffering just like he ended his own.
But he’s not here.
He will never be here.
I keep my teary eyes glued to the dark world in front of me. The wind is calm and the eerie silence would send anyone into a slight panic. There is a darkness taking over my life as well. A darkness that I might never break free of. Without anyone here to care for me, I have no way of finding a light at the end of this tunnel I have to call life. I have no family to guide me back to the world I once knew.
I think back to those people I’ve known since birth. Every second of their lives were wasted because they met an end too early. Everything we have ever done as a family was for nothing. All of those ridiculous moments of laughter and happiness, the clever sayings and songs my mother made up to make us feel better. She got it all wrong. That ridiculous lullaby she used to sing to us every night of every damn week. It’s not true anymore.
She should have sang it differently.
“You hear that mom?” I say, knowing no one will ever answer. “You’re stupid song is a fucking joke. Nothing is going to be alright. I’ll never get to sleep at night. I don’t want to think about being in bed, because everyone I care about is fucking dead.” I don’t bother singing this new anti-lullaby, it feels better to shout it with all of the anger that burns through me. “I would love to forever close my eyes and forget your stupid lullaby. Because nothing will ever be alright. You’re all dead, sweet dreams, and goodnight.”
I don’t know if my mom is watching me right now. I don’t really care if she or any other member of my deceased family is watching this. I hope they hear me, hear my pain and watch my suffering as I rot in this cage for the rest of eternity. They’ll never be here to help me end this life of mine or help me get out of this mess. I’m stuck and it’s my fault. I’m the only reason I’m here. I could have changed things. If I never went with George or his sister to their village, I damn sure wouldn’t find myself in this situation right now. Ryder would still be alive and I wouldn’t have to be so miserable about his death.
I never should have left the city walls. Dwayne would have been fine without my help to find that village. They would have found it on their own and bring the people back to safety. Who cares if the cure would never have gotten discovered. The human race has lasted this long without it, they could last a few more years until they figured something else out. But no, bad things had to happen. I had to let myself get bit and let everything go to hell from that moment on.
I wipe another tear on my shoulder and go back to staring at the quiet town. The house on the other side of the playground is boring and white. The blue trim around the windows and the awning does nothing to add any spice to the building. The humans inside are probably sound asleep, snoring under a mound of blankets without a care in the world. Trevor will take care of them. He will provide them with a life filled with possibilities because he has the cure. They’ll never have to worry about the girl in the cage as long as they get what they want.
Those people will never have to worry about dealing with sadness like I have to and they’ll be able to die happy as humans instead of a freak like me.
* * *
A cold mist has spread throughout the town. My clothes are damp and a few strands of hair stick to my face. Tiny droplets of water cover the lenses of my sunglasses which makes it difficult to see, but I’ve been through worse things.
The ever-annoying Trevor is pacing back and forth right outside the cage. For the past two days, he has done this and I never bother to give him my attention. He hasn’t said a word to me since he came out here this morning and the only look I get from him is the same evil glare I’ve grown accustomed to seeing.
I stand with my back pressed against the brick wall behind me. There are four guards with rifles at the ready and their eyes glued to my every movement. I can smell the tension and sweat protruding from the pores of their skin. The salt of their luscious, pink flesh is enticing and I am currently devouring each one of them with my eyes. I’m sure their blood, skin, and bones taste fantastic.
I grit my teeth and quickly close my eyes, forcing that side of me to stay inside.
A crowd of around twenty of Trevor’s followers have decided to join us. They keep their distance from the cage, afraid to get too close to the freak on the other side of the bars. I’ve heard that word being uttered from quite a few of these people. They might not know what I am at the moment, but they still want to believe that I’m different enough to be a freak. Their words are merely empty air to me. Nothing they say can drive me further down this winding road of depression, especially when my thoughts are doing a great job at it already.
I take another whiff of the air, smelling their precious aromas as they watch me. There’s something else on the air in this town. A smell that I shouldn’t be noticing this close to a lot of human life. I can recognize that dead stench anywhere, even without being this new creature that I am. Trevor must have his chosen ones locked away somewhere. The ones he deems fit enough to join his army once they receive the cure.
I’m sure the ones
he has picked out are big, muscular beasts of men who look like they could destroy a normal person with their bare hands. That’s what he’s looking for anyway. The best of the best who can handle their own when they are up against an enemy. I bet I’ll see them soon enough, but it can wait.
Trevor stops pacing, lets out a sigh, then adjusts the zipper on his black, leather jacket. It is a bit crisp this morning. Most of my audience have put on long sleeve-shirts or light jackets to keep warm. I’m fine with my blood covered hoodie to keep the chill away. It’s served me well in the past.
“Are you going to do what I ask today?” he says with an early burst of anger. “Are you going to show us how the cure works?”
“That depends,” I say, feeling my eyes burning with rage and sadness, “are you going to let me test my bite on you?”
His smile widens, “You are so funny this morning. I forget what a devilish little bitch you can be.” He wraps his fingers around the steel of the cage and leans closer, “I’m sure you’re pretty hungry, right? If you’re anything like the zombies out there you’re always hungry. Why not end that pain and let me feed you and you can show us the cure? I have plenty of zombies or vampires to choose from.”
I keep my glare on his and reply, “I’m not hungry enough for that shit.”
Trevor leans his head against the bars, annoyed with my lack of obedience. A gun hangs at his waist with a long knife in a holster right beside it. If my hands were free, I could get that gun and this would all be over in just a few seconds. I could end his annoying existence and perhaps get myself out of this mess in the process. Either by freeing myself from the cage or getting shot so much that I actually die to the point where I won’t be coming back. No matter what would happen, I’d be better off dead than locked in here.
Trevor finally opens his mouth and speaks slowly, “Do you know what they are doing to your friend in there?” he smiles and looks me up and down. “Of course you don’t. But they are torturing him, beating him senseless until he begs us to kill him. He keeps his mouth shut because of you and I’m finding it hard to understand why he thinks you’re worth it.”
