Their yellow eyes peered through the window in the door. The smaller of the two men opened the door and threw in two apples and a small bottle of water. “Lord Dameon has ordered that you eat something. Tonight at sunset you will have the honor of fighting in the ring of Ballah-ah, to become a chosen warrior. Most believe you won’t last five minutes. I am also doubtful.” His English was difficult to decipher, but the subject was even more confusing. “What is Ballah-ah?” she thought. The two men laughed and walked away, which woke Kaya.
She yawned sleepily and smiled. Tara couldn’t help but smile back. No matter how terrible their situation seemed, she knew she needed to be strong for her daughter.
In no time they had finished eating the apples and drank all the water. “I wonder if this is the last meal we’ll ever eat…” Tara silently wondered. She clutched Kaya protectively at the thought.
The sun was slowly setting outside the window, and she stared at it longingly. Tara stretched her sore muscles, knowing she would be thrown into combat soon. Suddenly, the door to their room unlocked, and four men and one woman walked inside. Two of them carried long ropes.
Tara glanced at Kaya’s wide eyes and smiled encouragingly. “Remember, be brave. Daddy will be here soon.”
The men quickly tied the ropes around their hands and looped them around their necks. Tara looked at Kaya again and noticed she was crying softly, but she seemed determined not to let anyone see.
Being a mother had made Tara more protective than ever, and seeing her baby being treated this way was devastating. If it hadn’t been for the rope around Kaya’s neck, she would have broken out of her bonds and killed every last one of them with her bare hands. But this wasn’t the time or place.
They were both led out to a large field behind a white church. In the middle of the field was a large octagon-shaped cage. It looked like that it had recently been erected because the grass in the center was still lush and green.
Smoke filled the air and stung her eyes. On each corner, there were fires burning in large barrels. Next to the arena was a large, raised stage surrounded by hundreds of the red and yellow-eyed infected. There were men, women, and children around the edges. They were all shouting and hissing, and a few clicked to each other.
Tara and Kaya were forced onto the stage. The ends of the ropes around their necks were tied up high on hooks attached to long poles. Suddenly, the noise of the crowd became silent, and they stared at the white church. Tara followed their gaze and noticed the man in the white suit.
After he climbed onto the stage, he walked towards Tara and smiled. “Good to see you again, and thank you for joining us in this celebration of Ballah-ah.” He turned around and stepped to the front of the podium.
“Brothers and sisters, we can all rejoice in this magnificent gift that has been given to us by the creators. This gift has given us a new sense of purpose, a new way of living. As part of this gift, we celebrate the rite of Ballah-ah. This rite has been practiced through eons of time. We have all been called to be warriors in the new order. As part of this celebration, we will give an outsider a chance to prove her worthiness to exist on this planet with us.”
He paused and looked back at Tara, and the crowd erupted in snarls, taunting her. Lord Dameon motioned to the men guarding Tara to bring her to the arena.
They unhooked the rope and pulled her to the center of the cage. Kaya lunged forward and screamed, “Let my mommy go!”
The large woman who had been guarding her gave a hard tug on the rope around her neck. Tara heard Kaya’s scream, and her first impulse was to rush to her and tear apart the fat woman guarding her. However, she knew that no good would come of that.
She stood in the center, and the crowd started to cheer. Across the cage, they parted as several dark figures walked into the space. Tara could vaguely see the shape of six men, and she assumed they were also infected. Two of them had rods attached to their necks. On the ends of each rod was an infected, keeping control of them. The beasts snarled, their faces contorted with rage. Neither of them wore any clothing, and they all tore at their own flesh anxiously. They thrashed at their handlers and tried to escape their bonds.
The small group stopped and waited for Lord Dameon's signal. He raised his hands to quiet the crowd, and they instantly became silent.
“These two of our brothers have not made the conversion to perfection as the rest of us have. They cannot be left to roam the streets free because they pose a danger to us. But instead of sending them to the eternities to live with the creators, we will give them the opportunity to have a warrior’s death that each of us hopes for someday.”
Lord Dameon nodded to three infected children. They entered the arena, each wearing a ceremonial robe and carrying a large staff. Two were placed in front of the beasts on the end of the poles, and the other was placed in front of Tara. Then they exited the arena.
The man who had led Tara to the center untied her hands and removed the rope from her neck. He quickly rushed away and left her alone in the center of the arena. Tara immediately started stretching and practiced a few shadow punches.
Lord Dameon raised his hand once again. “Let the rite begin!”
The four men holding the poles around the beasts’ necks pressed the buttons on the end, which released the clasps on their collars. The infected immediately leapt out of the cage and closed the gate behind them. Once the beasts realized they were free, they both screeched in unison.
As if on cue, they instantly sprang into action. The one on the left charged straight at Tara, and the other reached for the staff first. Tara instinctively dove for her staff, and in one fluid motion, she grabbed it in a roll then was back on her feet. Her knuckles became white as her grip tightened, waiting for the first beast to attack. She bent her knees slightly and raised her staff, and as it approached, time seemed to slow down. She could feel the protective rage swell inside her as the image of Kaya flashed through her mind. “Come on, you bastards! Bring it on!” she yelled.
The first beast was a few steps in front of the other, and as he reached Tara, it lunged at her head with open arms. She sidestepped the attack, leaving her leg out to trip her attacker. As the beast stumbled past her, she spun the staff above her head and brought it down onto the back of its head. It crashed to the ground, and a small, dark pool of blood started to drain into the soil.
Before she could even crack a smile at the pile of filth lying on the ground, the second beast was on her. He was much larger than the first, and he swung the staff at her head with a swift blow. She barely raised her staff to deflect the majority of the force, but not all of it. It knocked her off balance, and she stumbled several steps back and tripped over the dead body on the ground.
The crowd let out a mighty roar.
Tara barely regained her balance before the next blow came. This time, it was targeted at her midsection. She twirled her staff like a windmill with her wrists and parried the beast’s strike. With the same smooth movement, she brought the staff around her waist and struck the left knee of her opponent. Immediately, the beast fell to the ground and yelled.
Tara spun to finish it off with a thrust to the head. The beast raised a hand and grabbed the staff before it hit him, and for a minute, they tugged the staff back and forth in an attempt to rip it from each other’s hands. The beast finally won the battle of strength as he gave a final yank and thrust the staff straight ahead. It caught the side of Tara’s head, opening a small cut on her forehead, and warm blood trickled down the side of her face. The beast raised the staff high above its head, thinking it had just won a significant victory.
Suddenly, Tara’s eyes narrowed. She spun and caught the back of the beast’s head with a spinning back kick. The crack of its skull was loud enough to bring the entire crowd to silence. She stood over the body, panting and gasping for air. With one quick motion, she slammed her boot down onto its throat, and some blood bubbled from its mouth. The body became motionless. Tara was exhausted and fell
to the ground. Slowly, she looked back at the stage and wondered what would happen next.
The explosion behind her nearly knocked her to the ground. She turned in the direction of the explosion just as the bodies were hitting the ground. The entrance had been cleared. It was no longer guarded.
Day 4: Blake
As Blake, Munns, and Don approached the church, they were surprised at how few ABs they saw. The ones they did see could be easily avoided. A couple of the others were quickly killed by Blake and Munns’ knives. As they crept closer, they could hear a loud noise coming from a field across from the church.
Blake pulled out his binoculars. The sun had finished setting, but he could see the crudely erected cage lit by several fires on the perimeter. On the side nearest the church was a large stage. There were several people on the stage, but he couldn’t really see what was going on in the dimming light. Suddenly, the noise quieted, and Blake noticed a man in a white suit approaching the stage.
“What’s going on?” Munns asked.
“It’s some kind of gathering. There is a man in a white suit addressing the crowd,” Blake said. He didn’t remove the binoculars from his eyes.
As Blake continued to observe the crowd on the stage, they parted as one of the figures entered the stand. The golden blond hair on the little girl’s head caught the light of the fire and illuminated her face.
“Kaya!” Blake yelled. Munns and Don immediately grabbed him and covered his mouth. Blake rolled onto his back after they let him go and he breathed deeply. “I saw Kaya on the stand, and I think I saw Tara in the cage.”
“So what is our next move?” Munns asked.
“What can we do? There are hundreds of them out there,” Don whispered shakily.
Blake stood up and grabbed Munns and Don’s shoulders. “A couple of houses back, I spotted side-by-side ATVs in a garage. I will go back, hotwire one, and drive it over to those trees across the street from the field. Munns, I want you to set up a sniper position next to that big rock by the trees. On my signal, I want you to take out everyone you can on the stage. Start with the guards on each side of my daughter.”
Munns nodded. “What will the signal be?”
“Don’t worry; you’re familiar with this one.”
Munns grinned.
“Don, I want you to take up a position across the street. Things are going to happen extremely fast. I want you to cover our retreat.”
Don seemed terrified, but he hid it with a nod.
As Blake drove towards the arena, he fired the grenade launcher. He was fifty yards away from the crowd, and when the grenade exploded, the guards in front of the gate flew everywhere. Before the bodies had even hit the ground, the guards on the stage started to drop to the ground with pieces of their heads missing. Blake thought that Munns was exceptionally skilled at his job. The shock and precision of the attack stunned the crowd surrounding the arena.
The guards surrounding Lord Dameon threw him to the ground and covered him with their bodies. Blake knew that Munns was going to have trouble getting clear shots in the commotion.
As he pulled up next to the stage, Blake drew his pistol. He started to yell for Kaya. “Run to Daddy, Sweetie!” Kaya jumped over two bodies and ran as fast as she could.
Lord Dameon’s guards were dead and lying on top of him, thanks to Munns’s precision. Dameon reached out his free hand and grabbed Kaya’s foot as she passed. Kaya screamed, and Blake’s stomach dropped. He aimed his pistol at Lord Dameon’s arm and fired a single shot, which grazed the hand just above the wrist. But it was enough to loosen his grip.
Kaya wriggled free, ran the final few steps to her dad, and leapt into his arms. Blake’s embrace was short because he could hear Tara screaming. Several ABs had entered the other side of the arena and ran at full speed towards her.
The crowd rushed into the arena, and Blake saw Tara react just as fast. She was on her feet, sprinting towards the north gate that he has just opened. The crowd was only thirty feet behind her, and they were gaining ground with every step. Blake had his handgun up and fired on both sides of his wife, dropping the ABs that were running after her.
Blake placed Kaya in the front seat of the ATV and told her to keep her head down. He hit the gas and steered the ATV with one hand and shot with the other.
The bullets were whizzing past Tara as Blake slammed on the brakes and slid the back end of the ATV around. Tara jumped into the back of the bed just as one of the ABs caught up to them. It grabbed one of her legs that was hanging from the back. She yelled with all her force and kicked the beast on its nose.
“Go, go, go!” Tara screamed.
Blake hit the gas, and Tara almost rolled off the back. She managed to hang on with one hand.
“My M-16 is back there with you!” Blake yelled over the noise of the machine and roar of the crowd. Tara grabbed it as it bounced around in the back and pulled the bolt back. Within seconds, the pursuing crowd littered the ground with their bodies.
As they approached the front gate, they saw that it was blocked by several bodies because Munns had been doing his job of keeping the entrance open.
“Hang on.” Blake yelled. He placed one hand on Kaya and floored the gas pedal. The ATV flew high in the air as it hit and climbed over the bodies. It took all of Blake’s strength to keep Kaya from bouncing out. Blake knew that Munns would be running low on ammunition, but he hoped that he could cover them for a few more seconds as they made their escape.
Several trucks were roaring from the back of the church, and it was only seconds before they were in pursuit of Blake and his family. Blake hurriedly headed back to where he had left Munns and Don lying in cover.
Blake saw Don shooting as he laid down cover fire for their retreat. Blake prayed that Don knew what he was doing and didn’t shoot him or his family.
The two trucks were gaining ground, and fast. Tara had emptied the only clips of ammo they had for the M-16 so she hung on tightly to the sides of the ATV. Blake finally reached Munns and yelled, “Get in!”
Munns jumped onto the ATV next to Tara, and Blake rushed to Don’s position. The truck was close enough to them that Munns started to shoot his pistol at the truck. With all the cover fire happening, either Don or Munns hit the driver of the lead truck. The truck veered hard to the left and rolled, spilling the cargo of ABs in the back onto the ground.
By this time, Blake had reached Don. “Jump in!” he yelled.
“You don’t have room for me, take off and I’ll cover you!” Don said with fear in his eyes. “I won’t fail you and your family again,” Don yelled.
“Marines don’t leave a man behind!” Blake yelled back.
Don smiled. “Today they do. Now get the hell out of here!”
Blake nodded in gratitude and sped off. From his rear view mirror, he watched as Don jumped in front of the remaining truck and opened fire with his last clip of ammunition. Suddenly, smoke started to spew from the engine as several of Don’s rounds hit the radiator and the engine block. The truck was close enough for Blake to see the man in the white suit in the back of the truck, cradling his wounded arm. Blake watched as the truck was nearly to Don and he pulled the trigger one last time. Blood spewed from the driver’s mouth.
“Don!” Blake screamed. The truck hit him on the right side, throwing him through the air. As Don hit the ground, the truck coasted to a stop. The man in the white suit yelled out orders, and the ABs ran everywhere. Blake thought this was a good soldier’s death and thanked Don silently.
Blake closed his eyes as tears started to fill his eyes. “You were a good man, Don,” he whispered.
Blake and the small group drove for a few more miles until it became dark. They pulled behind a large storage building, and after a few quick hugs and kisses, Blake assessed everyone's conditions.
“Tara, are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m OK, I promise.”
After he examined her one more time, he allowed himself to relax. Kaya couldn’t
stop smiling and wouldn’t release the hug she had around Blake’s neck.
“I knew you would come! Mommy said you would.”
Blake grinned and hugged her back.
“Munns, hop out and see if we are being followed,” Blake said.
Munns jumped out and ran to the corner of the building. He took a quick peek around and didn’t see any lights or hear any engines. He returned to the happy reunion and smiled. “Looks like Don did his job. No one is out there.”
“In the end, he was a good soldier,” Blake replied.
“So what do we do now?” Tara asked.
Blake scratched his head. “Well, we can’t drive in the dark without light, and if we turn them on, we will probably attract unwanted attention. So we will find a place to hole up for the night and then head for the clean zone tomorrow morning.”
Munns nodded in agreement, and they found a nearby house. Quickly they hunkered down for the night, the two soldiers taking turns keeping watch.
Day 5: Captain John Nellis
Captain Nellis and the crew of the Mercy had an exceedingly difficult twenty-four hours after seeing their friends and colleagues become infected. They had to kill their own crewmates and dispose of their bodies. After a great deal of bravery and gut-wrenching decisions, the task of discovering everything they could about the infection continued. If there was any luck left in the world, the Mercy had a little left. The majority of researchers and over half the doctors had been spared from the infection.
Captain Nellis reconvened with what was left of the medical staff. “We will have time to mourn those we have lost later. Until we find out what has caused this calamity on our planet, I am ordering eighteen-hour shifts. Is everyone clear?” Captain Nellis looked at everyone, and they nodded. “We will reconvene every two hours. Now get back to work.”
AB (The Blake Reynolds Chronicles Book 1) Page 8
