by Marks, C. C.
Fortunately, I had a remnant of the old days. I had a handheld light that when shook, glowed faintly. The harder and longer you shook it, the brighter it burned. Pocket-sized, I kept it with me always, just in case.
I pulled it out now, gave it a good shake, and progressed down the hallway. As I made a right turn, two guards came into view. John Cane and Levi Wilson were the daytime guards for the Council chambers. Whether the Council was in session or not, they sat in front of the entrance, guarding the room itself. Supposedly, inside were documents and plans to which regular members couldn’t have access, so the guards kept the room clear of prying eyes.
As I came upon them though, I could tell immediately the Council wasn’t in session. They burned a small fuel lantern, played cards, and talked low to each other.
John was a friend of Zeke’s, so I considered him one of mine as well. He was a little on the short side, freckled with light brown hair. Most of the time, he had a joke or a funny story to tell, so when the guards traded out in the evenings, we anticipated John’s arrival to the dining hall. As for Levi, other than his name, I didn’t really know much about him. He had red hair, stood about a half a foot taller than John, and never smiled.
I stopped briefly to see what game they were playing. Looked like a version of an old card game my dad and I used to play called war. “Who’s winning?”
“I am.” John grinned.
“Bull. I am and you know it.” True to form, his lips never moved, not even a twitch of a smile.
John looked up at me, his grin widening. “You want to play? We’ll deal you in.”
“Nah, I’m more of a spectator than a player.”
“Okay, suit yourself.”
Instead of sticking around to watch them though, I spun on my heel and continued down the corridor. “Some of us have to work, you know. Not all of us can sit around playing cards all day.”
Levi spoke, his voice a growl, “You try sitting in this hallway for hours and hours without a break. It’s not as fun as it looks.”
I really didn’t think it looked fun at all, but I gave a nod of my head and continued on. At the end of the hall, the path branched off two ways, like a “T”. I threw a nervous glance over my shoulder as I turned left. I’d never turned right, had no reason to, but I was curious about what was down that way. It wasn’t closed off like all the restricted sections, so if I wanted to, I could explore the area, but truth be told, as interested as I was, my fear outweighed my curiosity. Hard to say what I’d find, so better to stay with the paths I knew.
I continued down and turned right, spotting two more guards stationed outside another locked door that led to a hallway from which the Council’s living quarters were accessed. Though they greeted me with the usual hellos and unlocked the door without argument, I responded with a nod, moved past them without stopping, and plodded to the door at the end of the hallway.
At the end of the left side of the hallway, I knocked on the door. Though a small lantern burned at the guards’ feet down the corridor, no light shown around me until the door opened and a soft glow spilled out. Once I was inside the room, the guards closed the outer door with a thud.
“Charlie’s here, Star.”
I handed the tray to the lean, gray-haired man, who was older than my forty-ish father had been last time I saw him, and strode into the room. My sister was sitting on the floor, her curly mop of white-blonde hair stuck out in various directions. The color was the same as mine, but unlike my cropped do, hers was a mass of adorable ringlets on top of her chubby little cheeks. Her hair could never be tamed, no matter how hard I tried each morning.
She bounced on her bottom and reached for me the minute her dual-colored eyes registered I was in the room. I rarely thought about her eyes nowadays, but when I’d first noticed her left eye was ice-blue and her right eye was brown, to be honest, I thought something was wrong with her. But Quillen had been there too, and he’d assured me it was normal for her and meant she was unique, special even. Now, I only wondered about the oddity occasionally.
“I see you’re no worse for wear after last night, huh?” Quillen spoke around bites and crossed the room to sit at a small round table in the corner.
“I slept even…a little bit. Could you hear it down here?”
He shook his head, chewed, and swallowed. “Noah came by to speak with me about it this morning. He wanted my opinion as to why the attacks were more intense lately.”
Noah was a member of the Council and Thomas’s father. Thomas looked like a younger version of him, and both seemed more pensive than most of the men here. Yet, unlike the other members of the Council, Noah often sought out advice from those in the community before making decisions. I liked him.
I scooped up my sister and danced around the room with her.
“Be careful. She just drank her milk, and I can’t guarantee it won’t end up all over you.”
Recently, Quillen introduced Star to some of the daily veggie special, but she still got her belly filled with goat’s milk every meal. It didn’t smell pleasant if she spit it up, so I didn’t perform any more twirls as I moved.
The goats had the life, if you asked me. They got to hang out in the sunshine all day, grazing and playing. Then at night, they were brought down to the sanctuary for safe keeping. There were only four remaining, so they’d never become the night’s dinner. The milk they produced was much more valuable than their meat, and currently, they were the only livestock in the community. They were treated better than the human members here.
“Why do you think the attacks are worse?”
He cocked his head to the side and chewed slowly, as if in deep thought. “I told Noah I thought it was the time of year, and the infected are running out of random victims. Most of the healthy people have either left the Dead Forest or been turned.”
I hung my head and rubbed my thumb over Star’s chubby knee. It was not pleasant to think about all the lost people. If not for the community bringing me in, I would be one of them.
“Is there anything we can do about it?”
He shook his head but stared at me out of the corner of his eye. “Nothing right now, but I suggested Noah might want to move everyone down to the sanctuary.”
“What did he say to that?”
“What do you think? He said Jonas would never go for it. Too much work involved clearing out space, and we couldn’t spend the electricity to light all the rooms down here.”
I did not like Jonas. Besides the fact he considered himself the leader of the Council, and most people just accepted it as fact, he often made decisions that though might be the right ones for the community, often benefited him in the end. I wasn’t exactly clear on why, but no one dared oppose him most of the time, and his son Peter took full advantage of his father’s position, treating the rest of us like the dirt we tilled and the weeds we pulled. I really didn’t like Jonas.
“Figures.”
I brushed and ponytailed her short, curly hair and played with Star as long as I dared delay the inevitable. But I knew Zeke would be waiting for me, so I passed my sister to Quillen and turned toward the door.
“Charlie…”
I turned back, ready for his usual advice. It had become part of our routine.
“Trust no one and stay out of the forest.”
With a nod, I opened the door and swiveled to go. He’d said the same thing for months.
“You…you are in real danger now, Charlie, in ways you couldn’t even imagine in your evilest nightmares. It’s more important than ever that you be cautious.”
Confused, I stood in the dark hallway and stared at the closed door, my small handheld light pointed in the direction of Quillen’s room and the ominous words still hanging in the air. Huh. His last words—he’d never said that before.
Chapter 2
The air was cool, raising goose bumps on my skin as Zeke and I hiked to the fields. A glance at the sky showed clouds moving in, and the lack of sun brought on a shudde
r. To me, the sun was protection, and I hated the idea of a season where it only shined occasionally. Bad memories of last winter still haunted me.
But for now, I had a bowl of morning grain and vegetable mush in my stomach and a shelter to go back to at the end of the day. I didn’t like to think about what had happened. Instead, I focused on the here and now, and when I allowed myself, what would happen tomorrow. I wondered if all our hard work tilling the soil and harvesting plants would be enough to get us through the coming winter, and what would keep us busy through long days stuck inside with only each other’s company? Maybe some of the community’s history would come out with the passing days. So much was still a mystery.
I looked at Zeke’s broad back. Did I dare ask again? Every time I asked a question, the only answer anyone ever gave was “the Council will tell us,” or “the Council already made a decision.” Apparently, no one questioned the Council. I was learning to keep my questions to myself.
There was one question though that I’d asked within the first few weeks of coming here and instead of a comment about how the amazing, wizened Council had already covered that particular tidbit, I was told never to ask that question. I shook my head at the memory because that question just wouldn’t die, not as long as my sister and I continued to shelter here.
In the community, there were exactly thirty-three men between the ages of eighteen and sixty, fifteen boys between the ages of eight and seventeen. That count included me. To everyone here I was a boy. Star made one baby girl, but there were no women or other girls. Where were all the females?
Zeke shifted a shovel and hoe to his other shoulder and continued to hum a tune as we walked together. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and noticed how all the hard work in the fields had filled him out in the past couple months. He’d been the first one to befriend me, and my impression of him then as a scrawny, simple boy made me feel safe enough to ask questions. Unless I was visiting my sister in the inner sanctuary or taking care of my personal needs, I rarely left his side.
Should I ask the question again? Did I really want to know the answer? Would he even give me more than that first hushed whisper?
Something told me whatever happened to the females was too painful for Zeke and the others to talk about. Once, I’d even overheard some of the boys discussing the toll it had taken on Zeke’s father. Apparently, he refused to leave his room since the incident, and he was mentally and physically ill as a result. For now, the Council tolerated his behavior, but I had to wonder what could cause such trauma. What happened here?
I shook my head and glanced toward the copse of dark trees across the fields. Another time maybe. I pulled a deep breath into my lungs. The fear churning in my belly wasn’t enough to keep me from doing what I had to do.
Yeah, I was a boy to all those around me, but that didn’t stop my body from reminding me just how female I really was. I’d volunteered for laundry duty, so I was able to gather scraps of fabric for the inevitable that happened each month. Although I still didn’t grasp why I had to hide my gender, my mother’s insistence when we moved into our own underground bunker years ago, and the fact no women were here kept me silent on the subject, and everyone seemed convinced that all was as it appeared, except maybe Thomas with his sharp, dark eyes.
“Zeke, I’ll catch up to you later. I forgot to take care of something.”
“Forgot to drain the lizard, didn’t you?”
As if. One of the problems I encountered on a daily basis was the ease of vulgarity. Men didn’t censor themselves when women weren’t around. It was eye-opening and plain gross most of the time, but I just smiled and nodded as I headed off toward the forest. I’d lived here long enough to catch a few eyefuls and knew what a man looked like, but I had no idea how draining a lizard was anything like…it wasn’t even worth thinking about.
A few of the boys I passed called out to me as I wandered toward the other side of the work area. Once I was inside the line of the forest, I continued to pick my way through the overgrown brush until no obvious openings appeared. I couldn’t chance someone coming across me while I tended to feminine needs.
Two overgrown pines created a wall on one side, and a few, low bushes gave me some cover on the other. The cloudy day along with the cover of the canopy darkened the area around me, and a sense I was being watched came over me. Silence ruled the forest, but it had for a while now. Life was rare above ground.
I stood still for several more moments, listening for any sounds and watching for any movement. After I felt assured there was no danger, I worked my way out of my large, bulky overcoat and began to work the leather belt free from my pants that were two-sizes too big. Once I’d removed and lowered my pants, my hands shook as I worked quickly, worried someone else would decide he needed to “drain the lizard.”
I completed my business and discarded the used scraps and wrapped new ones in their place. I dug a shallow hole, buried the evidence as best I could, then dressed as fast as my fingers would fasten.
Just as I turned to go, satisfied that I hadn’t left any trace, the sound of a branch snapping came from above me. My heart beat a furious pace as I whipped my head up and glanced through the cover of the leaves, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was nothing, no birds, no squirrels, no chipmunks. Nothing moved in the trees, but I hadn’t expected anything natural.
I took a few silent steps forward, but kept my gaze on the long branches full of leaves slipping to golds, reds, and browns above me. With one last glance over my shoulder, I turned and began to run toward the open fields, feeling thin branches and thorns tear at my clothes and exposed skin, but before I broke the line of trees, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow moving silky fast among the trees.
I broke through the forest’s edge and threw myself onto the ground right at the feet of Thomas. I reached out, and he grabbed my arms. I gripped him tightly and hugged at his legs, still on my knees. He looked me over for a moment before staring into the trees behind me.
“You’re all white, Charlie. Are you okay? Was something in there?”
I couldn’t catch my breath and sucked in great heaping gulps of air. My heart was racing, and I felt like I needed to run, get away, and never look back.
Thomas pulled just free enough to meet my gaze. “Hey man, you got a tight grip there. People are staring. You okay?”
My terror abated just enough that I realized what I was doing. I jerked my hands free in a sudden motion and nodded my head vigorously.
“Yeah, just got spooked. I didn’t really see anything, but just so we’re clear, it’s a good thing I emptied my bladder before that happened.”
Thomas made a strangled sound, and for a moment, I thought he might be laughing, but as I looked at him, his usual grim line planted itself where his mouth was. He grabbed me under my arms and lifted until my feet were under me and I could stand. He’d always been big, with a broad chest and long, spindly legs, but the ease with which he pulled me from the ground took me by surprise.
I watched his eyes and for just a moment, I thought I caught an interest that wasn’t usually there. Instead of the midnight iciness that kept him so distant, an instant of warmth lit up, but before I could take it in and figure it out, it faded back to coldness.
“So stupid! You shouldn’t go into the forest alone.”
“I’m a big…boy. I can handle a little spookiness.”
“Then, don’t be such a girl next time.”
My heartbeat halted a moment and I cocked my head to the side. Did he know? Was he trying to make me admit it?
I shoved a hand at his chest, getting no reaction.
“Whatever.” I turned to walk away, but stopped when he touched my shoulder lightly before dropping his hand back to his side.
“Get me next time you need to go into the trees. I’ll stay a short distance away, but you won’t be alone.”
I didn’t turn around. “You’re starting soldier responsibilities tomorrow. You won�
��t be here to ask.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Then ask Zeke. Just don’t go back in by yourself.”
I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t have anyone else in the forest with me, but the thought of going into that creepy, soundless space again gave me serious heebie-jeebies. At some point, I would have to go back in, and maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take someone with me, if he stood out of eyesight. I wasn’t going to give Thomas the satisfaction of knowing I’d thought his idea was probably a good one though, so I shrugged my shoulders and walked away.
I couldn’t wait until he started his training. Though their mothers were sisters and they were cousins, Thomas was so different from Zeke. Zeke was fun-loving and impulsive, while Thomas scrutinized every little thing he encountered. He watched me too closely, and I knew it was only a matter of time until he figured out the truth, if he hadn’t already.
The sun made a short appearance as we loosened the dirt around the towering plants and pulled the ever-present weeds. My callused hands throbbed and my back ached, but I didn’t complain because I was safe and the food would fill Star’s and my bellies through an otherwise lean season, like the one my mother and I barely survived last year.
Zeke worked beside me, and we talked occasionally about things we remembered before the infection. He mostly brought up foods he missed, like prime rib, cheeseburgers, French fries, macaroni and cheese, and beef-a-roni. I thought he was hung up on roni’s and red meat, but I just smiled and agreed.
I remembered television, computers, music, phones, and microwaves. I could spend hours with my head in front of, over, and on any or all of those at once, and I never imagined a time when I couldn’t just press a button and be set for an afternoon’s entertainment. Now they were memories, gone forever.
“And school. I actually miss school. Who would’ve thought?”
I looked at Zeke’s smiling profile and agreed. “Yeah, I miss the routine and my friends.”
