by Marks, C. C.
“Something’s wrong. We should be headed north, and the map says to head up this hill to the other side.” He raised his hand to point ahead of us. “But the sun’s making its way to our right which means we’ll be pointed south.”
Telling him I told you so should have been satisfying, but considering the cost of a mistake like this was our lives, it just felt alarming. “You used Victor’s map, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I? He’s been to Mercy and made it back alive.”
I dropped my gaze to my feet and shook my head back and forth slowly. “I tried to warn you. The evening before Jonas locked me up, I went to Victor’s room for information. I wanted to know how he’d made it. I planned to pass what I learned along to you.” I looked up at his expectant face. “He didn’t stay alive because of any great skill or sense of direction. He used the survivors he came across. I don’t know how many people he killed to draw the Draghoul away from himself, but I know he wanted you dead, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“On the way back from Mercy, he drew the Draghoul close to hidden bunkers with survivors inside. He’d leave the victims to the monsters and run on. Truth is Victor wouldn’t give you a map to safety. He’d lead you straight into the monsters’ den if he could.”
“Why would he do that?”
I climbed up to stand next to him. “From my experience, he wasn’t right in the head. He was furious at the community and the Council for reasons I can’t even begin to explain.” My mind drifted back to that night and the heartbreaking story that tumbled out between his sobs. Jonas had murdered his father, had sent his mother and sister to die on the other side of the wall. His emotional pain had been palpable. Then the confession of his own murderous survival tactics had sickened me, and I knew I had to get away from him. Victor attacked when I reacted with horror to his revelation. I’d barely escaped by punching him in the nose.
Thank goodness, Thomas, Zeke’s cousin and my protector, had taught me how to defend myself. Thomas. My mind conjured the last bittersweet image of him urging me to go, all the while, I’m sure, fighting the instinct to follow. He refused to leave when he felt responsible for the remaining men and boys.
I touched my lips for the hundredth time today. His sweet goodbye kiss lingered there. God, I missed Thomas and hoped he could handle what we’d left behind. I wouldn’t put it past Victor to sabotage the communities’ security and laugh while they all died. “I think Victor has given up on being human.”
The truth was none of us would be human ever again. The infection lay dormant inside all of us. With one scratch or bite from a Draghoul, or the minute we took our last breath of life, the dormant virus would take over and against our will, turn us into monstrous creatures with vicious teeth and claws used to infect and kill every human remaining. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and not what I wanted for Zeke, my sister, or myself.
Zeke ran a weary hand down his face, and then wiped the sweat from his brow. “What do we do now? We’re dead at sundown.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” With a glance around the terrain, I thought it looked vaguely familiar. I’d lived in these hills all my life, but it’d been almost a year since I’d ventured out of the safety of the community. Maybe if we looked down from the crest of the hill, we could get a lay of the land and find a few identifying markers to give us an idea of where exactly we were. “Keep going up. We might be able to spot something from there we can use to find our way.”
His face contorted as if he were in pain. “I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you, Charlie. If anything happens to us now, it’s all my fault.”
“Stop it! Nothing’s going to happen to us, unless we just stand here feeling sorry for ourselves.” I stomped forward and brushed past him. “Now, come on. Let’s get up here and see where we need to go.”
A glance back showed him trudging up the hill behind me, but it was obvious insecurity and guilt itched at his ego. He hadn’t done anything wrong, really. How could he know Victor was beyond help? I was the only one who’d seen the ugliness that had taken over his black soul. But he wasn’t the one responsible for its deterioration. No, the Council, especially Jonas, was responsible for the atrocity that had changed Victor into something inhuman. Someday I hoped to make them answer for what they’d done. Yet, if I was ever going to see that day, I had to make it to Mercy in one piece.
We crested the hill and looked down on a hollow between where we stood and the hill across the way. A petite, square house sat quietly in the hidden valley, no sign of life around anywhere. To make matters worse, I didn’t recognize the place at all. We were good and lost.
Zeke edged up beside me and released a heavy sigh. “Does it look familiar?”
“Like every other hollow, every little farmhouse around here. Maybe if we backtracked a little…”
“No! Jonas might be searching for you. Going back is not an option.”
He was probably right, but at this rate, we’d never make it to the city. Unless…maybe there was something we could do. I started forward and took long strides down the hillside toward the farmhouse.
He yelled after me, “Where are going?”
“Come on. I’ve got an idea.”
I could hear him crashing through the bushes and dodging tree trunks behind me. I looked back once to make sure he was being careful with Star. When I saw him duck low under a branch and glance back to make sure she cleared it as well, I turned forward satisfied he’d watch out for her.
It took us about ten minutes to reach the bottom of the hill and another five to wade through the two foot overgrown grass and weeds around the house. I circled the property, trying to find what I was looking for. As I came around the far corner of the house, I saw the roof of a shed-like building of some sort. It looked just like something that would house the object I wanted desperately to be inside.
Zeke followed at a distance, quietly calling my name. I wiped away droplets of sweat from my face and stopped to let him catch up. Once he was beside me, we pushed on through the tangled weeds and thin strands of grass. I breached the line of grass surrounding the building and stepped into the open double doors onto a concrete floor, but no car was parked under the shelter. Ugh! We couldn’t catch a break.
“It was a good idea, Charlie.”
I looked at the sky, terrified by how far past the mid-point the sun had traveled. “Okay, I’m officially out of ideas.”
“This little road has to head somewhere. Maybe to a bigger road. If we follow it, maybe we’ll come across a car there.”
My eyes traced the overgrown track of a driveway heading around the opposite hill. When my mother and I ran from our bunker to find the medical help she so desperately needed, she’d warned me to stay off the main roads. We’d heard rumors of devious humans who waited on the sides of the roadways to attack unsuspecting victims. But, the truth was, we didn’t really have a choice but to try. We couldn’t stay here. That was for sure.
“Okay, lead the way. I’ll watch our back.”
“Should we check the house for extra supplies first?”
I looked at the silent structure to our left and shuddered. The front door hung loose from its hinges and something brown streaked the walls of the porch. Most likely, it was blood. “We have enough to make it to Mercy. Let’s just keep going.” Hope that we could make it drove me forward as Zeke turned and stepped along the unkempt gravel path with a sleeping Star tied to his back.
After a few minutes, we came around the hillside and spied a car-sized, concrete bridge spanning a shallow creek and leading to a deserted, paved road. We edged closer at a cautious pace, scanning the area for any signs of movement. We sidled up behind a large oak growing beside the creek and hunkered down behind it. The silence was eerie but not unusual. It was rare to find anything living in this strange, new world. A few kinds of insects and some birds were all that remained, and sightings of those were infrequent. Our ears were tuned to any sounds, but aft
er a while of stillness, we slipped toward the bridge.
We crossed quickly and stepped onto the greyish pavement. I swiveled my head one way then the other. A charged anxiety filled the air, and I whispered warily, “Which way do we go?”
Zeke rested his hands on his hips and stared to the left a moment before turning in that direction. “Fifty-fifty chance. You feel like gambling with me?”
“Sure. What’ve I got to lose? My life, that’s all.”
The tension thickened as he watched me. “Thomas should be here. He could get you to Mercy safely, and he wouldn’t get lost.”
My heart sunk at his words. I didn’t recognize this Zeke. Before we left the community, he’d been confident, almost annoyingly so, but it’s what I’d come to expect from him. He’d volunteered to be the Chosen, for goodness’ sake, which meant he’d made the choice to leave the safety of the community and try to make it to Mercy to gather supplies and bring them back. He’d wanted to get medicine for his father, who would surely die without it. No one was stronger, braver, more capable, but even he could be overtaken by a horde of Draghoul if we didn’t find a way to get to the city soon.
Without Star and me, he might have arrived already, but then again, without me he might still be following that map straight to his death.
I sighed, feeling the weight of all that had happened and the impending danger threatening if we just continued to stand here. He needed a reality check. “Well, Thomas isn’t here. You are, so get your butt in gear, and lead the way before I have to kick it all over the place.”
One corner of his mouth kicked up slightly as he lifted his chin. “Is that a threat?”
I grinned. “No. It’s a promise.”
A chuckle slipped from his throat before he could suppress it, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me in the chosen direction. With a squeeze, he stepped to the front of our two person team, and I scanned the area behind us before following after him.
The tightness between us eased a little. Since I admitted I’d hidden my identity, that I was really a girl, a distance had grown between us, and I’d missed our friendship. Zeke was my first friend in the community. For a while, he was my only friend, and we’d had an easy relationship before the truth had come out, a relationship full of back-and-forth ribbing and teasing. It was nice to find that place again, even if it was only a superficial way to forget the mess we’d gotten ourselves into.
We plodded along the road, sticking close to the creek side. If we heard or saw anything, we planned to drop into the overgrowth along the creek bed until the threat passed or came close enough for us to attack. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but the best we could do under the circumstances.
We passed several more farmhouses and explored a few for vehicles, but only found a few tractors that wouldn’t start. The sun’s rapid descent forced us to break into a jog again, and though my whole body protested, I pushed on, knowing I couldn’t allow myself to acknowledge the pain. We stopped once for dried potatoes and apples and a sip of water, soothing Star with a little time out of the sling before strapping her back in and moving on. Logic reminded me Zeke could move so much quicker without Star on his back and without me slowing him down, but I refused to feel guilty. Staying in the community to be used by Jonas hadn’t been and never would be an option I could live with. I just hoped the decision to leave didn’t kill me in the end.
I suddenly felt Zeke’s hand yanking me down as he slipped into the bushes and weeds beside the creek. He rose up to peer over the side before whispering, “Cars on the road.”
I stuck my head up to see for myself. It looked like the cars had collided and just been abandoned. Nothing and no one moved around them, but for all we knew, it could be a trap.
We sat still for what seemed like a while, but we couldn’t wait any longer. “I’m going to go check it out.”
“No.” With a glance at the waning sunlight, he began untying Star from her makeshift sling. “You stay here with your sister. I’m going. If anything goes wrong, stay put. Don’t help me. Just wait until it’s clear. Then get out of here and find somewhere safe to stay for the night.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
He placed Star heavily in my arms. She wiggled and gave a little whine but quieted when I shushed her. I was thankful for that tiny stroke of good luck.
“Don’t try to be a hero. Worry about yourself. It’s the only way you’ll last out here.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond. Instead, he slipped out of the creek bed and jogged low to the ground toward the cars. I watched him move away, shocked by his words. Although the tone was empty of any bitterness, Zeke’s sentiment was eerily similar to Victor’s advice for surviving in the Dead Forest. I hoped I never got that desperate.
He stopped beside the closest vehicle to our hiding spot. It had been so long since I’d worried about cars, I couldn’t even recall what the initials stood for, but I remembered this kind being described as an SUV. The windows were up, and when he tried the door handle, it didn’t give, and the door was clearly locked. He inched around the side of it, trying each door, including the hatch at the back. When none opened, he moved onto a banged-up, red truck to the right of the SUV. The driver’s side door opened with a loud squeak. Zeke ducked down and crawled under the truck at the same time I fell to the ground with Star, hunkering down in the overgrowth.
After a few moments, I heard Zeke’s voice giving the okay. This time, I emerged from our hiding spot completely, making my way to Zeke’s side, my sister in my arms. He was standing again, his upper body bent inside the cab of the truck. In a lowered voice, I asked, “Are the keys inside?”
“Not that I can see.”
“Try that thing that folds down from the ceiling, right there where it meets the window. Sometimes my dad would leave his keys there.”
He looked at me like I’d spoken a garbled language, but reached up and flipped the panel down. Unfortunately, nothing tumbled out, and I pulled a slow breath into my lungs before releasing it with a frustrated huff. We really needed a lucky break.
A low growl of irritation sounded as he pushed himself to try the next car. There were five total, so we had three more possibilities. We just needed one to work.
I hung back this time, scanning the area around us, making sure we were as alone as we felt. Seemed like I remembered a way to start a car without a key, something about connecting wires, but nothing I could recall exactly. I kicked at a few pieces of loose gravel under my feet. A memory like this was totally useless. I remembered just enough to annoy and not enough to really help.
Star began getting restless, pumping her legs and pushing at my chest. When she began to emit little whimpers, I decided to let her sit inside the truck cab for a few minutes while I stood outside the open door. She seemed to like this, pulling up on the steering wheel and bouncing her knees as she looked out the front window. A smile tipped my lips at this peculiar moment. Right here, for this small span of time, she was nothing more than a baby, doing what came naturally. She deserved these moments all the time. My heart ached to get her somewhere she could grow up with some sense of normal and some sense of happiness.
I looked to my left and saw Zeke had moved on to the next car. He was now directly across from the truck. Apparently the previous one was a bust. That was three down, two more to go.
I rolled my aching shoulders and twisted my back from side-to-side to ease the sore muscles. I didn’t want to, but I made myself look at the sky. The sun was beginning to touch the tops of the hills on the western side. It was clear we weren’t going to make it to Mercy tonight. We needed to start looking for shelter. I squinted down the way we’d come then turned to look at the road we’d yet to travel. Nothing looked promising, but I cocked my head to the side and paused to listen. I thought I’d heard a sound like voices.
Paralyzed, I listened another second before grabbing Star and working my way through the mess of cars toward Zeke, who was paying attention just
as intently. He’d heard them, too.
He waved me toward him, and I rolled my eyes. What did he think I was doing? But just as I reached the front of the car where he sat, two silhouettes emerged from the forest on the opposite side of the road from the creek. When awareness of each other hit, everyone froze.
Just as I met the gaze of the taller of the two, a predatory smile lifted his mouth, and I jumped into action, squeezing through a small gap between two of the cars. I reached the passenger door and pulled the handle, but it didn’t give and my hand slipped off, yanking at one of my nails. I cried out in pain and frustration.
They were sprinting toward us, and the minute I heard a click, I pulled again and felt the door unlatch. I flung it wide, bent down, and pushed Star into Zeke’s hands, throwing myself in behind her. I slammed the door just as they rounded the other car, and Zeke hit the lock button three times.
Their hands slapped against the window, and their eyes shined as the tall one, who was closest to me, lifted his lips back in a feral smile that reminded me of a growling dog. I glanced back and forth between the two threatening men. Both their breaths came rapidly, but the tall one held my gaze with a terrifying glare. He wore a white t-shirt, cut off at the sleeves and torn down each side and a pair of ripped jeans. A cruel, jagged scar began under one of his cold eyes and ran down his cheek to his chin.
“Hey, we can help you. Unlock the doors, and we’ll take you somewhere safe.”
I shook my head strongly.
Zeke shouted, “Go away! We don’t want your help.”
The man on Zeke’s side had a scrabbly black beard and wore a dingy baseball cap low over his beady eyes. His clothes were dirty and torn, and he didn’t bother smiling, just sneered at us through the window as he yanked at the door handle.
“Come on. You can’t stay in there forever.” The scrabbly beard moved up and down as he spoke.
Zeke handed Star back to me and yanked the panel down at the top of the window and yelled in frustration at the lack of keys. He reached down and felt under his seat. But came up empty handed there, too.
