Red Robin: Post-Apocalyptic America

by R. B. Tetro

  “Here…” she coughed out a mouthful of the acidic sand.

  “Where are we?” asked Poet.

  “We’re on Prisoner Island,” the old lady answered; as if it wasn’t a big deal.

  They managed to get to their feet and started walking toward the people that they’d seen from the air. Halfway to the building a short, rail-thin man, carrying a long handled, primitive-looking club with a Harley Davidson bandana on his head came out to meet. Poet almost shot him but the old lady stopped him.

  “I’m a friend! I’m a friend, you must follow me. There are more vultures coming soon…best not to be caught out in the open.”

  They followed him, not because they trusted him, but because they knew he was telling the truth when they heard the screeching of the returning vultures behind them.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TEN

  Every night, Onyx would go somewhere alone and howl until he knew it was time to stop. Each night he listened after howling for an answering howl, but each night he returned to the pack disappointed.

  Now, after watching helplessly while Angel and her friends had been whisked away by the vultures, he and the rest of the pack howled and ran and howled and ran until they had no choice but to stop and rest for a while. Even then they howled, knowing as they did, that they were telling the enemy where they were and that they were coming.

  But still they howled and howled some more and took turns howling until they heard what they’d been listening for and knew that help was on the way.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN

  “Mind if I take a look at that?” Daniel surprised Juggernaut who sat with his shirt pulled up, trying his best to tend to his own wound by the moonlight.

  “Oh…this ain’t nothing, Captain,” Juggernaut grumbled, lowering his shirt before Daniel could get a good look at the wound.

  “I doubt I can make you lift up that shirt all by myself, but I think all of us together could,” Daniel pointed out.

  Juggernaut shook his head and unbuttoned his shirt. Daniel tried not to react to the gruesome wound, but it wasn’t easy. It was gaping open the size of his fist with Juggernaut’s inside’s spilling out as fast as he could push them back in.

  “Oh! Okay, you stay here. Don’t move... I’m going to get Standing Wolf,” Daniel suggested, patting his giant ally on his shoulder while trying not to look at his wound.

  “It’s okay, you know. It’s a death wound, we both know it,” Juggernaut mumbled.

  Daniel wasn’t much on lying and after seeing the wound he could only nod his head. “I’m sorry, my friend. Maybe Standing Wolf will know what to do,” He turned away before Juggernaut could see the tears in his eyes and met Standing Wolf and Scout after going only a short distance.

  Scout told me Juggernaut’s hurt,” said Standing Wolf.

  Daniel nodded and led them over to Juggernaut who looked close to dying. Standing Wolf knelt down beside him and looked at his wound, grunting and pulling a pouch from inside of his medicine bag. “This is gunpowder. It’s going to hurt… real bad.”

  Juggernaut looked at the pouch skeptically. “You sure there ain’t nothing else can be done for this?”

  “This is the only way to cheat death.”

  Juggernaut swallowed hard and lay back. Standing Wolf poured gunpowder on the wound, filling and covering it completely before lighting a match. First, he checked with Juggernaut and the huge man nodded that he was ready. Still, Juggernaut bellowed like a wounded bear. Three of them tried to hold him down but he threw them off and stumbled down the hill, slapping at the fire in his belly in a morbidly comical dance, while the rest of them tried to tackle him.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWELVE

  In her dream Angel saw her parents. Not the ones who stole her after murdering her real parents. No, these was her real parents, somehow alive and in front of her, bidding her follow them when all she wanted to do was to hold them and squeeze them and tell them how terrible things had been without them. She wanted so much to share with them how scared she was and how bad she wanted for it to just be over- one way or another.

  She reached out to take her mother’s hand but her mother drew back, breaking Angel’s heart momentarily until she explained to her that if they made physical contact it would break the dream. Angel wiped tears of joy and longing from her eyes and nodded that she understood, dutifully following the parents she so desperately missed until they came, at last, to a large wooden door with iron straps.

  “You need to see this,” her mother whispered. “You are the only one who is capable of breaking the spell of protection that keeps Siros alive and the Keep from falling. You, and only you, have been chosen to carry out this mission; with the help of your brave friends, of course, and your new husband,” she smiled.

  “You know I got married, mamma? You can see me down here in the middle of all of this? You can really see me? Not everything, I hope!” All of a sudden, she felt like the little girl she’d been before the world took all that away from her.

  “We see some things…big things. Some good- some very bad. We long to see more but there are rules in play that can’t be tampered with,” her father explained. He was just as Angel remembered; of average height and built stocky with wavy, pecan- colored hair and a permanent look of amusement on his face. Her mother, the spitting image of Angel in every way.

  “Do you like him? Father, Mother? Do you like Poet…please say that you approve!”

  The two of them looked at each other and laughed. The sound reminded Angel of someone playing a xylophone next to a bubbling brook.

  “My daughter, we are both so proud of you, your new husband and, your new friends- including the wolves, although we must admit, it took a while to get used to all of that but yes, Honey, in answer to your questions, we approve of everything and everyone around you. We’re so very proud of you and your bravery and the way that you stick by your friends! Your two parents couldn’t be any prouder of you… and so is Jesus!”

  Angel’s heart raced at the name of the man who had saved her and protected her and given her the torch of hope during the dark times that was around her. “Jesus sees me? He’s happy with me?”

  “Yes! He is pleased and it’s because of him that we are able to show you these things- these dangerous things that you must do in order to defeat the undefeatable,” said her mother.

  “What must I do? Why can’t you just tell Jesus that my husband and I and all of my new friends are scared and hungry and tired of being hunted and just want to come home?”

  Angel’s mother looked at her with the same patient expression that she used to use when she was younger and being petulant. “I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way, my love. It’s not yet time for you to join us here. It has been decided that you are to be the one to break the spell of Siros and Magnus, you and you alone, with the help of your friends, of course. And this is how you will do it.”

  In a flash, Angel was standing alone in what appeared to be a chemist’s laboratory. She saw the work bench and went to it and looked around the room; realizing she was in Siros’ lair. She stared at all the things on the work bench and peered underneath. She saw a blood-red stone.

  She thought she heard someone coming and jumping back, hid behind a curtain. She was frightened but her mother’s voice told her to go and look underneath the work bench again. Gathering herself, Angel did as she was instructed. She was able to remove the stone up from the floor.

  Underneath the stone was a child’s casket with strange symbols all over it, wrapped in razor-sharp wire.

  “What you seek is in the coffin.” Her father said. “It is the secret to Siros’ life and power. You must either destroy it or save it. Only you can decide what to do, but it must be done. If you choose wrong, it will be the end of your friends and everything that you hold dear, but if you choose wisely and are able to break the spell, the curse that is Siros and Magnus will be broken from the territory forever, and civilized life will begin to prosper.


  “But how will I know what to do? What’s in the coffin? Why can’t I see what’s in the coffin?” Angel asked over and over again, begging her parents not to go, but their time was up and it was time for Angel to awaken and face the daunting challenge that now lay before her.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN

  In her dream on a night of dreams, the old lady was in the Keep armed to the teeth, fighting back- to- back with Poet and Reverend, the three of them trying to keep Angel alive. Angel was leading them ever-upward; up steep, blood-slick stairs, always up through Blood- eyes and snogs and, further up until, at last, they fought in a great hallway with their backs up against a huge, oaken door with thick, iron straps.

  They were surrounded and overmatched. Then she saw Butcher and his men, and Onyx and a great many wolves coming up the stairs toward them, killing their way to them until they were fighting together, while Scout tried to open the door.

  She saw an old man who looked like he’d just crawled out of a long, buried casket approaching them with his arms out and realized, at the last moment, that it was Siros and he was casting a spell. She just had time to grab Poet and hit the ground as the spell slammed into them, pulverizing the fighters in front of her and splintering the door.

  The old lady could see the putrid-looking old man cursing and casting a spell on the unfortunate Blood-eyes who’d stepped in front of him, causing his aim to be off. They disintegrated and he stepped through their ashes with his eyes fixed on the now packed doorway to his personal quarters.

  It seemed to the old lady that time leapt forward and she was standing in the doorway to the room, fighting for her life and Butcher was beside her. Over her shoulder, the old lady could see Angel trying to remove a red stone from the floor underneath a work bench and then the enemy renewed their attack and that took all of her attention.

  The only thing saving them and that bought Angel some time was the fact that the dead and the dying were stacked up so high in front of them re-enforcements were having a hard time getting to them. Butcher yelled to get down right before Siros sent another energy spell sizzling into the room.

  There was a loud explosion behind her. The old lady and Butcher were pitched forward almost onto their enemies’ swords and then she was staggering back and trying to wipe blood from her eyes. She saw Butcher go down with three Blood- eyes on top of him and she tried to help him but she was forced back by several Blood- eyes in the room, which reeked of scorched flesh.

  Time and again she thrust and sliced with her long knives, her blades coming away bloody, and then Reverend was beside her with Poet and, together, they managed to push the enemy back through the doorway and hold them there for a moment.

  It was bloody and brutal and some of the most intense fighting she’d ever been in. For a moment, it looked like they’d gained the upper hand as more of Butcher’s men joined the battle but then they saw a giant man with ashen, radiation-scarred skin and long crimson hair coming toward them. Siros was beside him and he was throwing another spell and they all dove to the floor but it didn’t do any good because the floor was ripped up by the explosion and crumbling in front of them and underneath them and they were thrown back against the wall.

  The old lady bounced up to her feet swinging blindly at the Blood-eyes pouring into the room and then they were on her and she was being weighed down by their sheer numbers and she thought that this is probably where she would die. And she felt so much sorrow at how close they’d actually come but not close enough, and then it was dark for a while until she woke up and realized she’d just dreamt of all of their deaths.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN

  “I know your scared, you cannot lie, but your probably not as scared as I” Mr. Mean was glaring extra hard at Scout who was twitching and jerking with every night-time noise. Scout was on watch at one end of the camp and Juggernaut on the other. It was deep in the middle of the night, the part when one’s eyes got heavy and played tricks on you.

  Scout had never seen so many stars in the sky at one time and for someone who basically lived outdoors that was saying something. It was as if God knew their little band of warriors were going to die soon and was giving them a stellar send- off to ease their anxiousness.

  Scout looked around quickly before putting Mr. Mean’s head in his bottle of brandy and swishing the warm alcohol around his little green head. “There, maybe now you won’t be so mean, Mr. Mean.” For a second, Scout thought Mr. Mean was going to take a swing at him but he didn’t. He just stood there glaring as usual, saying everything that needed to be said with his raging eyes and permanent scowl.

  “Just once, my friend- I wish you would smile,” Scout sighed. Then he heard the sound of wings and spun around, knives in hand, eyes searching the sky until he spotted the hawk, battle-scarred and rugged, soaring toward him, as always watching for its enemies, the vultures.

  Scout clapped his hands and did a jig. The hawk waited patiently, keeping a watchful eye toward the sky. After Scout calmed himself, the hawk allowed him to remove the note in the canister attached to its leg. “I wish you could talk to me, my feathered friend.” As usual, the hawk seemed to read his mind, staring deep into Scout’s weary eyes and nodding his head as if he understood perfectly what Scout was saying.

  Daniel appeared, bowing his head low and keeping his hands down at his sides so that the hawk could see that he was not a threat. The hawk was able to sense that and after studying him, he allowed Daniel to stay without taking flight. Daniel handed Scout another parchment and stood quietly while Scout slid it into the canister.

  “My noble friend, I have no right to ask you for anything more than what you’ve already risked, but the time is urgent and we need to communicate to the prisoners on the island behind the Keep.”

  The hawk nodded his head and Daniel continued. “I need you to take that message to the prisoners to let them know we’re coming. They need to be prepared to help fight or flee, whichever they choose.”

  Scout used hand signals and whistles to speak to the hawk until it seemed as if the hawk got the message and flew away. Scout turned and handed the rolled-up note to Daniel who took it and motioned for Scout to follow him back to the camp. Once there, they joined the rest of the fighters around a healthy campfire and freshly made, hot stew.

  Scout interrupted Daniel’s dinner by digging in his backpack and pulling out a sizeable object wrapped in soft cloth. Daniel put his hands out to take the object from Scout, who was jerking around with it, making everybody nervous.

  “Easy Scout! That’s a bomb, and by the looks of it a very big bomb. I need you to hand it to me…very carefully.”

  Scout was shocked and felt very silly. He’d been carrying the bulky thing around without knowing it was a bomb, and being none too gentle with his pack. He handed the device over to Daniel and sat down hard. “Tinker said to give the thumper to you. He said break down the gates, is what it’ll do.”

  Daniel studied the device for a moment before answering, turning it over in his hands. “That’s okay, Scout. You did good. This is our ticket.”

  “Ticket to where… mon frère?” Scout asked. But Daniel had already turned his back to the camp, head down, deep in thought.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN

  Daniel slept with his back against a rock, arms folded across his chest.

  He had no choice but to sleep and when at last he gave in to sleep he dreamed like the rest of his friends. In his dream, he saw things that made even his brave heart falter.

  The dream felt real, as if he was actually there and yet, somehow, he knew that he was in a dream…a part of a dream. He could see Magnus and his uncle fighting with Reverend and the rest of his friends. He watched Siros reach into his robes and bring out a blood-colored bell. He looked right at Daniel and seemed to know him and Daniel saw the terror in the man’s eyes as he rang the bell and knew that the bell was going to summon something very bad and, indeed, and it did.

  Within seconds the chamb
er was crawling with Snogs and even some rock demons. Daniel understood that the bell was the way that Siros was controlling the snogs and the rock demons and if he could get the bell or, at least, keep the bell from being rung he could…

  Off to his right, the battle faded and there was a soft, greenish light and in the center of the light stood a man Daniel hadn’t seen since he was very young. Daniel forgot about the battle and the dream and the bell. He stepped toward the man that he’d loved so very much as a child. The same man who’d raised him in his father’s absence. His grandfather was the man he would become, tall, strong and as hard as the mountains they called home, with a heart as free flowing as a river.

  “Papa! How is this possible? I love you, Papa!” Daniel shouted over the battle, then he realized the battle had faded away and all was silent.

  “Little Daniel! You’re not so little anymore. Do you remember when you used to come to me, worried about how little you were and how worried you were that you were never going to grow? Now look at you! Didn’t I tell you, you’d turn out just fine?”

  Daniel took another step toward his Papa, but the tall man stopped him with an outstretched hand. “You mustn’t touch me, Daniel. I will have to go back into the light. Just listen to me- there isn’t much time in the in-between places, so please listen.

  I love you, and I know that someday we will all be together, but first you must help save the world.”

  “What did you say, Papa? I can’t save the world! I don’t have enough fighters.”

  Daniel’s grandfather started to shimmer and fade. Even after he was gone Daniel could hear the same voice that used to read him to sleep every night, chanting over and over, “Break the bell, break the spell, break the bell, break the spell.” And that’s what Daniel was chanting when he woke up.