Broken World | Novel | Angus

by Mary, Kate L.

  Naya was waiting for him, his things held in her hands.

  Her gaze moved past him as she stepped into the settlement, sweeping over the houses and other buildings and taking in the wreckage of what had once been a safe place. “It’s like a graveyard.”

  She wasn’t wrong.

  Angus said nothing as he shut the gate, securing the bolt, and even when he turned back to face her and take his stuff, he remained quiet. He slung the backpack over his shoulder, followed by the bow and arrows, and started walking, and Naya followed as the silence stretched on. The idea of talking, of disturbing the stillness that hung over this place, seemed almost irreverent. Like playing a game of tag in a cemetery while a funeral was taking place.

  It was strange how much the town reminded Angus of Senoia. The houses were all arranged like a normal community, almost as if they’d been built within the wall instead of it being constructed around them. There was a small pond in the center, too, and the similarities were so stark he found himself wondering if he’d somehow ended up back in Georgia even though they’d been traveling west, not south.

  They reached the first few houses, but Angus barely glanced their way. He wanted to find somewhere in the center, farther away from the wall.

  Naya looked over each home they passed, studying them, then asked, “Why are all the windows and doors broken like that?”

  “The creatures swarmed the place,” he said.

  She glanced his way, frowning. “Swarmed?”

  “Only way to describe it,” he told her. “It was like an army movin’ in.” He spit at the memory, shaking his head as the fear from that night came sweeping back. “See, we knew the walls didn’t do nothin’ to keep them out, so we started staying inside after the sun went down, and for a bit, things got better. Fewer people died. We started to hope.” Again, the urge to spit swept over him, and he paused to pucker his lips. This time, he didn’t give in. “They came up with another plan. Not many people survived it.”

  “How did you know?” Naya asked, her eyes narrowed like she didn’t believe him. “I mean, how did you learn they could get over the wall in the first place?”

  He stopped walking, focusing on her. “’Cause I saw it happen.”

  Angus remembered the first time the creatures had come into the settlement at night, how he’d been sitting on the porch smoking, Parv at his side as usual while he’d stared out over the settlement at the sun. It was fall, and the trees had begun to turn, their leaves gold and red and orange, but the summer humidity was stubbornly hanging on, refusing to let up despite the changing season, and his skin had been sticky with moisture. He remembered looking forward to winter and a break from the heat, but he’d also known it was going to make things rough. During summer, they grew food, but they had to rely on hunting in winter, and game had been getting scarce. Either the creatures had cleaned out the area or the animals had all gone into hiding, because he and Parv had come back from hunting emptyhanded the past two times they’d gone out.

  After the CDC fell and they’d released the failsafe, which had killed the zombies off for good, he’d thought things would get better, and for a while they had. Then the creatures had shown up—half zombie hybrids or whatever they were—and it had taken them by surprise. Ruined everything. Again.

  As usual, thinking about the creatures brought his brother to mind, and Angus let out a pained sigh.

  Parv put her hand on his knee, her touch gentle and soothing. “What is it?”

  “Thinkin’ ’bout Axl.”

  She’d moved closer to him, giving his leg a comforting squeeze. “We all miss him.”

  Angus took another drag off his cigarette, his eyes stinging. He told himself it was from the smoke, but it had been a lie.

  A little more than six months had gone by since Axl was killed. Shortly after they’d first realized the creatures only came out at night and had stopped leaving the settlement after the sun set. While there had been a few losses here and there since then, for the most part things were back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be. Angus still hadn’t gotten used to his brother being gone, and he doubted he ever would.

  He’d been pulled from his melancholy a few minutes later when the front door of the house opened and Charlie, Al and Lila’s daughter, stepped outside, her parents right behind her. She’d been laughing, her dark hair hanging loose down her back and her smile lighting up her face. It had made her look so much like her mother that Angus had a sudden flashback to their first day in the shelter. Back when they thought they’d reached safety and had allowed themselves to relax. After the destruction the virus had wreaked on the human race and the shock of the zombies, they’d needed the break. Everyone had gathered by the pool to blow off some steam, and even though Angus hadn’t wanted anything to do with the other survivors, Axl had convinced him to go, too. Angus had known his brother was more interested in seeing Vivian than going swimming, though, which hadn’t helped his sour mood, and it had only gotten worse when Axl ditched him so he could join Vivian in the sauna—alone.

  In his brother’s absence, Angus had stood away from the rest of the group, watching them laugh and talk, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. They’d just met Lila—she’d been at the shelter before they arrived—and his scowl had deepened when he saw the display she was putting on. Everything about her had screamed rich bitch, from her expensive-looking swimsuit to her perfect skin and hair, and it had made Angus instantly hate her. It had taken a long time for his opinion to change, too, despite how hard she’d tried to help out and how devoted she was to Al. Now, though, she was like a sister or cousin to him, and seeing Charlie’s youth and remembering what her mother had been like when they first met and how much she’d changed sent a jolt shooting through him. They’d all come so far that at times it felt unreal.

  “You don’t have to spend every night at the bar,” Lila had been saying to Charlie.

  Her daughter pursed her lips, forming a pout that Angus had seen dozens of times before. At the age of thirty, she was no longer a child, but she still hadn’t grown up, and compared to Megan—who was married with a family—Charlie acted like a wild teenager.

  “It’s literally the only form of entertainment in this place.” She’d thrown her hands up in exasperation. “I don’t know what you expect of me. There’s almost nothing to do and literally no one I’m interested in, so until a ruggedly handsome survivor wanders through the gates and falls madly in love with me, I’m going to have fun.”

  At that, she’d given her mom a satisfied smile and pranced down the porch steps, waving goodbye over her shoulder.

  Lila sighed and leaned against Al, who had draped his good arm around her. The other one hung loosely at his side, the stump free of the many different sword contraptions he’d fashioned for it over the years.

  “I don’t think she’s ever going to grow up,” Lila complained as they watched Charlie head off.

  The sun had set, and even though a few distant howls rang through the air, telling them the creatures were on the hunt, the sidewalks and streets of Senoia had been crowded with people. Some were talking while others, like Charlie, were on their way to the only bar in the settlement. There were even a few kids at the end of the street, jumping rope and singing a song Angus hadn’t been able to make out.

  “She’ll be okay.” Al kissed the side of his wife’s head.

  “She’s too much like me,” Lila had replied with a sigh. “I mean, I would have been just like her if things had turned out differently, but I tried so hard to raise her better. To teach her what was important. I always thought it was more nurture than nature when it came to kids, but she’s proven me wrong.”

  “She’s not a lost cause,” Parv had assured Lila, who’d only sighed a second time.

  The door opened then, and Vivian walked out, twelve-year-old Patty at her side and four-year-old Lucy in her arms. Her older granddaughter had her nose stuck in a book, as usual, and didn’t even look up before droppin
g down, but little Lucy had her head resting on Vivian’s shoulder, her eyes closed even though she didn’t seem to be asleep quite yet.

  “Megan and Donaghy out?” Parv asked when she saw the little girl in her friend’s arms.

  Vivian smiled, but rolled her eyes. “Not out.”

  “Makin’ more little ones is more like it,” Angus had said then held his hands out. “Let me hold my great-niece.”

  Patty had grimaced at the implication, but otherwise ignored the statement.

  Vivian complied, passing Lucy over, a smile on her face as she watched Angus cradle the little girl in his arms while Parv reached over and patted the child’s head. Angus hadn’t gotten much time with his own daughter when she was little, and Parv never had the opportunity to have children, so they’d embraced their roles as aunt and uncle. It was bittersweet considering the things they’d gone through at the hands of the CDC, but like with everything else they’d been handed, they’d long ago made peace with the past.

  Lucy was in Angus’s arms for less than a minute when the first scream broke through the air. Everyone on the porch had frozen, their gazes moving over the houses around them, scanning the darkness to try to figure out where it had come from, and Patty had lowered her book, her green eyes big and round and filled with fear.

  Vivian stepped closer to her granddaughter, panic radiating from her. “Do you think someone got stuck outside the settlement?”

  “No way.” Al had straightened at the sound, and while his arm was still around his wife’s shoulders, his stance made it seem like he was ready to run from the porch at the first sign of trouble. “No one would be stupid enough to do that. Not since—”

  He didn’t finish the statement, but he hadn’t needed to. Not since Axl. No one had been stupid enough to leave the safety of the walls after dark since Axl died.

  “It must be someone who doesn’t live here,” Parv said, and she’d turned her gaze on Angus as if hoping for confirmation. “Maybe someone who was just passing through the area and doesn’t realize how dangerous it is to be out after dark?”

  It had seemed far-fetched that anyone didn’t yet realize the creatures only came out at night, but he’d nodded anyway, because he’d felt certain the scream must have come from a stranger. People still stumbled across the settlement from time to time, survivors who were searching for somewhere to put down roots, and it was the only logical explanation. Their walls were secure, the settlement safe. The creatures couldn’t get in.

  “That has to be it,” Lila had said, echoing his thoughts.

  Her gaze was on Charlie, who, like them, had frozen when she’d heard the scream. She was almost to the end of the street, a good fifty feet away from the house, and she was staring at something in the distance. Something none of them could see.

  A second later, Charlie turned back to face the house and started running.

  Realization slammed into everyone on the porch at the same time. Lila had stepped forward, her hand out as if reaching for her daughter, and screamed her name, and Al had taken off, practically jumping down the steps. Angus let out a string of curses and jumped to his feet, practically shoving the now wide-awake little girl he was holding toward Vivian, who was shaking her head, her eyes wide. She didn’t seem to understand that Angus wanted her to take Lucy from him, though, and he had to call her name three times to get her attention.

  Vivian’s gaze finally snapped to him when he’d shouted, “Take her!”

  She’d taken the now sobbing little girl without a word.

  Lila had already rushed down the stairs after Al, and Parv had followed, but Angus was only a few steps behind them. He’d pulled his knife as he ran, taking the steps two at a time as he hurried after the others. Charlie was running toward them, her hands out in front of her as if trying to reach for her father, who was on his way but so far. Too far.

  Just then, the creature streaked around the corner at her back and let out a howl. Its chin, neck, and chest were painted red, the fresh blood shimmering in the light of a nearby fire, and there was even more on its hands. The settlement was dark, and the thing was too far away to get a good look at it, so Angus had no idea if it had previously been a man or woman, but it must have been fairly new, because it was still wearing pants. They were shredded and flapped behind the creature like a flag as it ran toward Charlie, the fabric beating against the air.

  Angus knew they weren’t going to make it to her in time even before the creature pounced. It leapt, seeming to fly through the air like it had superhuman powers, and slammed into Charlie. She’d let out a shriek as she fell forward, her hands out to brace her fall, and before she’d even hit the ground, the hybrid zombie had sunk its teeth into her shoulder.

  “No!” Lila’s wail felt like a knife in Angus’s gut.

  She slowed, stumbled, and dropped to her knees in the middle of the street, but Al hadn’t stopped running. He was swearing, yelling, calling the creature every vile name he could think of. His knife had been out, but with only one arm, he was at a distinct disadvantage. Not that Al seemed to register the danger he was in.

  Parv stopped running when she’d reached Lila, and a second later, Angus passed them. Lila’s sobs were barely audible over Al’s swearing and the shouts from other people in the settlement. Angus remembered praying that someone was close enough to help his friend, because the creature had been up by then, crouching beside a crying Charlie. Its sights set on her father.

  Al raised his knife. “Fuck you! Fuck you!”

  “Al…” The name wheezed its way out of Angus. “No. Wait!”

  Al hadn’t listened.

  The creature propelled itself off the ground, diving toward Al. He’d brought his knife down, the blade sinking into the hybrid’s chest, but his aim was too high, and right away Angus knew he’d missed the heart. Al and the creature hit the ground, a tangled mess of limbs, and had rolled a few times before stopping. Angus could see Al’s arm moving, saw the light from a nearby fire glint off the knife as Al brought it down, but he hadn’t been able to tell what else was happening. Couldn’t tell if Al was hurt or if he’d hit the mark, had no idea how many times his blade sank into the creature’s pale flesh. He just knew he had to keep moving. Had to get to Al.

  Then, almost as suddenly as it started, the altercation had ended.

  The creature dropped on top of Al, not moving and covered in blood, but Angus didn’t know if it was Charlie’s, or if it was from the thing’s previous victims, or if Al was hurt as well. Angus pulled the unmoving monster off his friend, and the body rolled to the ground, landing with a thump, but Angus hadn’t looked its way. He’d been too focused on the bloody mess that had been Al’s face. The creature’s teeth had torn a huge chunk of flesh from his cheek.

  Al had been panting, his gaze already moving past Angus to Charlie. Lila and Parv had gone to her during the fight, and the three women were sitting on the ground sobbing. No one but Angus seemed to realize that Charlie wasn’t the only one who’d been bitten—not even Al. He was too busy thinking about his daughter to register the pain.

  Al climbed to his feet and took one step, but Angus had grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Al.”

  His friend’s gaze moved to Angus. Al’s eyes had been panicked, sad, and confused, but not scared. It was like he hadn’t felt a thing when the hybrid zombie bit into his flesh.

  “Your face,” Angus had said.

  Al blinked, raised his hand, and had pressed his fingers against his cheek. His body visibly jerked when he pulled them away and found them covered in blood, and Angus saw the moment realization dawned on him.

  Al’s shoulders slumped, and he’d dropped his hand to his side. “There’s no cutting it off this time.”

  Angus swallowed before responding. “No.”

  Al’s gaze moved past him, and Angus turned to find Lila staring at them now, her arms around her sobbing daughter, but her gaze on her husband. She’d looked like she was going to be sick.

  “It’l
l be fast,” Angus said.

  “I know,” Al replied, keeping his words quiet. “Let me say goodbye.”

  He’d headed for his wife and daughter, and Angus followed, his knife still drawn.

  Parv had pulled herself to her feet when the two men joined them, moving to Angus’s side. Like him, she had her knife out, because she understood as well as he did that Al’s transformation would be a fast one. The closer the bite was to the brain, the sooner the change happened.

  Al dropped to his knees next to his wife and daughter.

  “No.” Lila grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her so she could bury her face in his chest. “I can’t. I can’t let you go. No.”

  Her shoulders had been shaking when Al put his arms around her. “You have to. I’m sorry.”

  He focused on Charlie, whose cheeks had been streaked with tears.

  “Daddy?”

  Al’s stump stayed around his wife’s shoulders when he lifted a trembling hand to his daughter’s face, wiping a few tears from her cheek with his thumb. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”

  Charlie’s bottom lip trembled, but she seemed unable to say a thing, so she’d just stared at him.

  It was dark, but even in the limited light, Angus could see the change begin to take place. The color drained from Al’s skin, and only a couple seconds later, black veins appeared around the bite, snaking their way up his face, moving toward his brain.

  “Al,” Angus hissed.

  His friend had tried to extract himself from his wife’s grip, but she refused to let go.

  “No,” she’d moaned. “Please.”

  “Lila,” Al said firmly, “it’s time. You have to.”

  She was clinging to him, though, grasping his shirt. “No. No. No!” The last one came out as a wail.

  Footsteps pounded down the street, and Angus risked a quick glance over his shoulder to find Luke rushing toward them.