by Lowry, C. L.
“You asked about the other troops that didn’t comply with The Associations new way of living, well here they are. Micah didn’t approve of slaughtering troops that had just surrendered, so he gave them a different type of sacrifice for their country. We tested the gas on them along with others, since it had very little effect on the animals.”
Kyle walked past Jin’s airway began closing Jin, bumping him with his shoulder. He sent a clear message to the little man in charge of the laboratory that he did not approve of their methods and practices. He walked up to the first cage, staring at the beast that seemed to be full of rage. As Kyle got closer, the beast rammed the cage and attempted to free itself. It would have ripped Kyle to shreds if it were successful. Kyle’s hand wrapped around an object that dangled from the cage. He brought it close to his face, while he still kept an eye on the beast. “Sergeant Jonathon Greene, U.S. Army,” he muttered as he read the name on the set of dog tags he grabbed.
“Interesting,” Jin said as he approached and stood by Kyle’s side.
Kyle looked over at the little man in disgust. He wanted to slap the glasses off his flat face.
“It seems like the beast calmed down once you grabbed the dog tags and said his name. We have never seen this happen before. It was as if he remembered his name.” Two researchers walked over to the two men and began jotting down notes. “Pass me the dog tags,” Jin ordered, sticking his hand out towards Kyle.
“No.”
“Listen, young man; you are a guest here. Please hand over the tags.”
“I’m not going to repeat myself.”
One of the researchers pulled out a handgun and aimed it right at Kyle’s head. “Hand it over,” the man stated, taking the safety off the gun.
“Don’t do it handsome,” Dannie said as he aimed the AK-47 at the gunman. Only he knew the gun was empty and it was only a bluff to spare Kyle’s life. Dannie used up all his ammunition during the great escape at the courtyard.
It didn’t take long for the guards to start pointing guns at the group and Candice and Marcus aiming back at them. It was about to be a bloodbath in the warehouse. “Now everybody just calm down.” Jin threw his hands in the air and stood in front of Kyle because he knew nothing good would come of a gun battle in the research facility. “Listen, sir, just hand me the dog tags and no one will get hurt.” Kyle extended his arm and tossed the tags at Jin. He watched as the dog tags flew by Jin’s head and directly into the cage. “Oh come on. Why did you go and do that?” Jin looked at the tags and knew there was no way they were getting them out from under the three hundred pound creature that once owned them. The beast stepped forward and pressed its face against the cage, before letting out a loud roar. The roar caused everyone’s guns to focus on the beast, not knowing what it was capable of doing.
“How the hell did you get involved in this and how do you know so much about those troops?” Marcus asked.
“Because he was in the convoy when it was attacked. Weren’t you?” Kyle followed up.
“Yes, yes I was,” Jin replied. “I was in the convoy when Micah hit it. I was on the truck with the gas. I used to work for the army and helped conduct research on the gas before the government released it. Since I had knowledge of how the gas worked, Micah spared my life, and I was able to encourage him to spare the lives of the soldiers that wanted to help rebuild America.”
“That is fuckin’ pathetic. So you are basically responsible for everything that has gone wrong in our country. Including the death of my family.” Kyle grabbed Jin by the throat and slammed him against the wall. “Where is the cure for this disease?”
“There isn’t one,” the choking man mumbled as Kyle’s grip tightened and Jin’s airway began closing.
“That’s enough Kyle, drop him,” Candice ordered. She couldn’t help but feel bad for Jin as she watched his round face turn red and his movements began to slow down. Kyle dropped the little man to the floor and walked towards the next cage.
“Dr. Lee, are you ok?” Cierra inquired, worried about her mentor who was clearly in pain.
“Yes, I’m fine. He is just a hurt man. He has a chain around his neck, and I’m sure dog tags are hanging from it. Let him be,” Jin replied as he began to cough. He stood up and readjusted his tie. He signaled for the guards to stand down. It hadn’t been the first time someone’s emotions got the best of them, and Jin became the receiver of a brutal attack. Hidden under his lab coat were scars that told intense stories. It wasn’t much in the new world that scared the little man. Learning the art of Jiu Jitsu allowed Jin to defend himself against the largest adversaries. He would have given Kyle a run for his money if he wanted to. He watched how Kyle walked towards each cage without fear and saw a form of compassion in his interaction with the beasts. The beasts growled, roared and lunged at him, but not once did he flinch or show any form of aggression back towards them.
“You seem to be gentle with the creatures. Have you been studying them as well?” Jin asked Kyle.
“We came in contact with these things during our journey. They definitely retain the human intellect in the way they search and hunt, but there is also the strong animal instinct that attracts them to each other and to that damn gas.”
“Very impressive.” A deep voice echoed as it bounced off the walls. “It seems our new guests know these creatures very well.”
“Oh, what a pleasant surprise,” Jin stated as he turned to see the leaders of The Association standing behind the group. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to Micah and —“
“— Dee Dee.”
There were only two people in the world that had ever called her by that nickname. Adina looked like she saw a ghost, as she watched the young man run towards her. It had been such a long time since she saw him and since the epidemic, she figured he was dead or rotting away somewhere in a jail cell. She broke out in a full sprint towards him. They looked like a couple prancing through the fields in a typical romance movie. Their embrace was so tight Adina squeezed the life out of Dannie. Tears poured from his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the woman that changed his life. He considered her a sister to him, but she was more of a motherly figure in his life. Once she was arrested for a theft in New Jersey, they lost contact.
“O-M-G sis, I almost didn’t recognize you with these braids. You slayin’ these boo,” Dannie said, referring to Adina’s new hairstyle. Dannie was so used to seeing Adina with big, bold hair that rose above her perfect chocolate face. He admired the beautiful, strong woman that stood in front of him and she admired the mature, fearless man that stood in front of her. She eyed him up, and by the outfit he wore, she could tell he had grown to accept who he was.
“Wait, is that…Star?” Adina picked up the small dog and immediately felt the moist, warm tongue run across her cheek. She hugged Star almost as tight as she hugged Dannie. She was the third member of their little family and was always by their side. Adina’s face was covered in saliva by the time Star was done with her.
“I’m so proud of you. I missed you so much lil’ bro,” Adina stated, pulling Dannie in close for another hug. “Where have you been?”
“On the streets, basically. You know I was still hittin’ a few licks here and there, but nothin’ big. I searched for you, sis. I went to every shelter in the city, but you were just a ghost.”
“I got booked out Jersey, and you know how they are out there. They threw the book at me and the rest is history.”
“Pinch me.”
“Pinch me first.” They both couldn’t help but laugh, as they finally realized all eyes were on them. Micah extended his hand out to Dannie, who gave it a firm shake. Many nights he listened to Adina talk about the closest person she had to family, and it was an honor to meet the young man finally. He had never seen Adina this happy before and was glad she had another reason in her life to smile. Everyone was all smiles, except Kyle. Seeing Dannie and Adina being reunited made him think of his family. He would kill to experience the feeling of
seeing their faces one last time. Kyle couldn’t take it any longer and stepped out the warehouse.
CHAPTER 29
The mission seemed as if it would be an easy one. Searching for supplies and survivors was much different that creeping around, trying to avoid everything and everyone. Kyle had grown accustomed to having Candice and Marcus by his side; it felt a bit awkward to be out on the streets without them. They stayed behind with Dannie, to figure out what their assignments will be in the organization. Word got back to Micah about how Kyle snapped on Jin and decided to recruit the man for Adina’s search team. Riding around with a group of eight people seemed to be a lot more secure than his original group of three. With eight people, they would be able to cover more ground and their searches would be much quicker. Kyle sat back in the seat and checked out the scenery as the group caravanned in three different vehicles. Kyle rode shotgun in a beat up Ford Explorer, which trailed behind a Chevy Silverado and a Saturn Vue. He was amazed at how much territory The Association was able to claim and clear out. As presentable as the leaders of The Association made their organization seem, Kyle got a bad vibe about them. Something was not sitting right with him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. There were so many questions left unanswered. The Association had no explanation for the innocent lives that were lost at the hands of their men.
After forty-five minutes of driving, the vehicles pulled over onto a deserted block. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Kyle carefully scanned each home, and they appeared to be undisturbed. His main focus was on the windows above, which is the vantage point he had when executing intruders. If someone was perched up in the window, his chances of returning fire would be higher than the other shooters he was accompanied by. All of the vehicle doors flung open, and men began exiting. No one left the Chevy, so only Kyle and four others hit the streets. Being the loner he had always been, Kyle began checking the vehicles on the street while the others began checking homes. “Let us know if any of those vehicles have keys in them. We can take them with us,” the driver of the Chevy yelled out. Kyle nodded, confirming he acknowledged the order. He peeked in each vehicle, aiming his rifle and ready to fire on any opposition. If anyone dared to pop up from one of the seats, Kyle was ready to put them down. Each vehicle was mostly cluttered with trash and loose change. Three vehicles had the keys inside, and they would serve as nice additions to The Association’s growing collection.
“Please stop. Why are you doing this?”
The desperate begging caught Kyle’s attention as he peered over his shoulder to see where it was coming from. A middle-aged man was being dragged from one of the homes. Kyle’s brows lowered as he saw how roughly the man was being handled. Being dragged by his legs, the man’s back scraped across the uneven cement as the coarse ground ripped his skin. For an organization that was all about growing in numbers, they sure weren’t treating the fragile man with much respect. Who would want to join a group that roughs them up? Kyle thought, remembering how sincere Micah seemed when discussing the organization’s expansion plans.
“Who are —“
CRACK!
The man’s statement was interrupted by the force of a baseball bat striking the back of his head.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Kyle raised his gun and aimed it at the bat-wielding man. With the slightest movement, Kyle was going to place a bullet between his eyes.
“Calm down dude. You are the new guy right?” one of the other members asked, stepping between Kyle and his target.
Kyle didn’t entertain the question, he just looked past the man’s slim figure and had his rifle locked on his target’s head. “Lower your weapon.” The order forced Kyle to eye up the man that felt brazen enough to bark orders at him. He had no idea of what Kyle was capable of doing to him, or the skilled marksmanship that would lay him to rest. On the other hand, Kyle didn’t realize he was eyeing up Wolff who was one of the organization’s most loyal and dangerous members. The ginger male was hardly intimidated by the former vet’s grimacing stare. His left hand had a strong grip on the gun he kept close to his hip, as his right hand combed through his orange beard. A cut off denim vest fit loosely on his shoulders, and his skinny Gap jeans fit snug around his slim waist and rested on top his black Vans sneakers. His strong reputation made up for everything he lacked in stature. His persistence and loyalty had gained him a powerful position directly under the current leaders. Tattoos covered both arms, as the colorful sleeves of ink told a story of his life through precise detail. From the sea of skulls on his forearm to the shredded Irish flag that draped his shoulder blades, Wolff was proud to display his heritage as well as his demons.
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Kyle asked Wolff, his rifle still aimed at his target.
“Listen, you need to lower your weapon. This isn’t your fight,” Wolff replied. He was taken back a bit because no one ever disrespected him in that manner and got away with it.
“Our job is to look for resources and bring people back when we come in contact with them.”
Wolff laughed at the naïve response. “Who told you that?”
“Micah told me that.”
As soon as those words left Kyle’s lips, the entire group burst out in laughter. Kyle’s eyebrows moved closer together, and the wrinkles on his forehead became more visible, as he looked around at the laughing men. For some odd reason, they became amused once he mentioned Micah’s name. This type of disrespect did not sit well with the former soldier. In his opinion, there needed to be a level of respect shown to the ranking members of the organization and clearly, there wasn’t.
“We don’t answer to Micah,” Wolff snarled. “And seeing as though you were chosen to roll with us that means you don’t answer to him either.”
“Well, who the hell gave us the authority to drag an innocent man from his home and beat him like an animal?” Kyle asked as he stepped forward, getting face to face with Wolff. It looked as if the two men were being showcased at a weigh-in for a pay-per-view boxing match. Despite Kyle’s stockier frame, Wolff didn’t back down. He turned the trucker hat he was wearing around and got eye to eye with Kyle, showing him that he was ready for whatever move that was about to be made. The other members of the group began circling Kyle. The readjustment of their grips on their weapons showed they all had one intention. Kyle felt their presence surrounding him but kept his eyes fixated on the ginger male standing in front of him.
“BACK DOWN.” The direct order caused the group members to back away from their newest member. It also made Wolff take a few steps back from Kyle. Turning his hat back around, he acknowledged the powerful figure that exited the Chevrolet Silverado. A pair of boots clicked on the hot ground, as the sound became louder with each step. Kyle felt a hand touch his shoulder softly and turned to see whom it belonged to. His heart skipped a beat when he saw who had approached. The hand slid from Kyle’s shoulder and worked its way down to his hands. Chills fluttered up his spine once he felt the warm palm graze the back of his hand. He felt his rifle being pulled away from his hand. His body was frozen due to the shock he was in. The only movement was Kyle’s eyes blinking when the sound of the rifle firing traveled in his ears. He watched as the rifle was raised and a bullet was sent through the skull of the battered man that was lying on the hot ground.
“I know what Micah told you, but things are going to be done my way.”
Kyle was shocked to hear those words, especially coming from Adina. Although her words were deceiving, her appearance had his attention. The sun blazed down, bouncing off her chocolate skin. Adina was the definition of perfection when it came to her exterior, but inside she carried around demons from the past and present. Adina had taken her braids out, so her hair stood up straight like it was reaching towards the sky. Her large afro was distinguished and allowed her to tower over average-sized men. The Association’s second in command had given orders that contradicted the vision of her counterpart. Her vision was of a world that bowed down to their organization
in fear. The neighborhoods they caused havoc in were once homes to hardworking, middle-class residents. The same people that looked down upon those who struggled to live a life that barely crossed the line of poverty. The same people would cross the street when they walked by a shelter, to avoid being in the presence of degenerates like Adina. She felt they were the problem with the country and would not allow them or the rich to survive in the new world unless they proved to be beneficial in the enhancement of The Association. The man that was dragged from the house served no purpose to her, so she did what she has done many times before. The sinister grin that spread across her face displayed her willingness to execute the innocent for her evil cause.
“If you are not with The Association, you are against us,” she announced. The members of her small group broke out in loud cheers and praise for their leader. Kyle was still stuck as the demonic cheers drowned out his thoughts. Adina basked at the moment, gliding over to Kyle and handing him back his rifle.
CRACK!
Kyle drove the rifle stock straight into Adina’s nose, breaking it. Blood poured from her nostrils as he held her in a chokehold. The barrel of the rifle kissed the back of her head, as Kyle backpedaled away from the rest of the group. The warm fluid dripped down his forearm as he tightened his grip. The broken sunglasses Adina wore were completely shattered when she was struck in the face. There were multiple guns pointed at Kyle, and he kept Adina close to prevent a clear shot. He wasn’t too worried about anyone except Wolff, who was focused on him.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Adina asked, choking on her blood.
“Central Avenue,” Kyle replied.
“What?”
“Central Avenue.” He pressed the rifle harder against her head.
“Agh.” Adina cringed in pain as the force from the rifle felt as if it was piercing into her head.
“We can’t save everybody. That guy wouldn’t have done anything for us, so why avenge his death?”
