She continued, “Our life turned upside down in a moment, and of the few people who did survive, some of them couldn’t take it and they let themselves die. I’m sure you ran across a few of them.”
Melissa nodded.
“So survival is the key word. You survived when millions didn’t. You were surviving up until these people showed up. You had plans, whatever they were, and these assholes took that away from you. Your plans aren’t dead. You’re not dead.”
She proceeded to tell Melissa the story of her near rape. “Ben and I decided that our survival—mental as well as physical—was the key. Yeah, now I find myself in the same situation as you, but they will never kill me. They will never kill my spirit. If I get called to Wells’s room and am expected to do what he has demanded of all the other women here, I’ll decide what to do at that time. If it means I have to go through with it to make it to that day when I kill him with my own hands, then I will do it.”
She paused. “Melissa, our world changed. That means a lot of other things changed, maybe even our attitudes toward sex. The chance for survival can make us strong. Forget your old ways. It’s a new world. The old world is long gone. If they make you do it again, do it with the secret knowledge that you, ultimately, will be in control. Wells and Sharp are only in that position temporarily.”
“But what about Gordon. It’s killing him to see me get led away, knowing what they are about to do.”
“It’s killing him because he sees that it’s killing you. Let him know how much you love him and that you are doing this to survive. I think he’ll understand.”
“How old are you?” asked Melissa. Her voice seemed a bit stronger.
“Sixteen,” answered Lila. “Actually, I guess I’m seventeen now. I was only a month or so away from my birthday when it all happened.”
Melissa attempted a smile. “You’re seventeen going on forty. You’re mature way beyond your years. Thank you. I needed to hear that. Lila, whatever you plan, be careful. This new world needs people like you. We can’t afford to lose you.”
They stood up and hugged, and Melissa slipped away into the night.
The next day at breakfast, one of the guards approached Lila. It was the toad. He had a nasty smile. “Major Wells has picked you for tonight. We’ll escort you after dinner.” He knocked the bottom of the tray, so that her rice spilled over her front. “Have fun tonight.”
“I will,” answered Lila. “I’ll be picturing you lying in a ditch with a bullet hole in your head.”
He stopped, as if to come back and strike her, then changed his mind and walked away.
I had wondered what I would do when Wells called me in for my turn. When I was talking to Melissa, I assumed I would just do as he said and bide my time. But I had been there almost a week now, with no plan formulated and no realistic hope of escape. Something drastic had to be done, and it was up to me to do it.
Only one of us was going to walk out of that bedroom alive that night.
Chapter 13
Ben woke up for the fifth, or maybe the sixth time. He kept passing out. He had horrible dreams: exploding heads, and people hanging from trees—Lila was one of them. Where was Lila? She had left hours ago. Ben knew that there were towns not too far from there. Could she not find any antibiotics? And where did all the flies come from? They were landing all over him. The pain was unbearable. Finally, he passed out again.
It was dark when he awoke. He wondered if Lila had gotten lost. From the trail, it all looked the same. He heard a stick snap. He pulled his rifle closer to his body. Nothing now. Maybe it was a squirrel or something. He was suddenly cold. He wrapped the tent remains around him. It didn’t help. He was shaking. His leg hurt. It felt like it was on fire.
It was light again. Had he slept through the night? Everything was still wet from the storm. He was freezing. Where was Lila? A shiver of fear shot through him. He hoped she was okay, but he knew she wouldn’t have left him unless something was wrong. Why did he let her go? He passed out again and when he woke it was midday. Where did all these flies come from? They were landing all over his leg. He tried to cover it, but he just didn’t have the strength. Now he was hot. So hot. He was sweating. But he knew that when it turned dark, he would be cold again. You’ve gotta drink, he told himself. He unscrewed the top to the canteen and took a swig. He had forgotten how good water could taste.
He could no longer keep track of time. He would be awake for a painful hour or so, then lapse into unconsciousness. When he passed out, he had no idea for how long. He remembered taking sips of water. He remembered being scared of animals. If they came, he’d never be able to defend himself. How long had he been lying here? Hours? No, much longer. He realized it had been days, but he had no idea how many. He remembered looking down at his leg at one point and seeing his wound covered with maggots. He had panicked and tried to swat them off, but he didn’t have any strength left. And once again, unconsciousness had prevailed.
Ben woke up starving. How long had it been since he’d had a meal? How many days had he been out here? And most of all, was Lila okay? He realized that he was thinking clearly for the first time since she left. He wasn’t hot … or cold. He was feeling better. But how? He looked down at his thigh and almost gagged. Maggots were all over the wound. He let out a grunt of repulsion and went to sweep them off, but stopped. He was a child of the TV generation. He’d seen this before on some forensic show. Maggots weren’t bad. They healed wounds. But how? He couldn’t remember. Yes he could. They ate away the dead or infected skin. Something like that. He could see the edge of the wound. It was no longer bright red. They were helping him.
“Eat away, boys,” he said in a half croak. He actually found himself watching them work. They tickled a bit. Even as disgusting as they were, he was so hungry, he knew it wouldn’t affect his appetite. He reached down for a can of food. Beef stew. He pulled the top off the can and used his fingers to eat the stew. It tasted so good. When he finished eating, he fell asleep.
It was daylight again when he awoke, but he knew it was the next day. He looked down at his friends, but most had gone. In their place, they left a clean-looking wound. It was still there, but it was healing nicely. It was time to go and find Lila.
He left whatever maggots were still there on his leg. He’d let them eat. Eventually they’d fall off. Holding onto the tree, he slowly stood up. The wound still hurt, but nowhere near enough to keep him there. He decided to leave the backpacks and carry only what was necessary: his Sig in the holster; his rifle; his crossbow; his knives; and his canteen. Anything else would just slow him down. He draped the crossbow and quiver by their straps around his neck, so that the only thing he had to hold was his rifle, which would be his crutch. Then he began his journey up the hill.
It took an hour, as he was favoring his leg, but he finally made it to the trail. Immediately, he saw the blazes Lila made in the tree. She wasn’t lost. That meant something had happened to her. Ben started down the trail. He was surprised his leg didn’t hurt more. But it was still painful enough that he had a pronounced limp. At least he was alive and he was walking.
He had no idea how many days it had been since Lila left, but he was going to somehow pick up her trail. A few hours later he reached the open spot in the trail that led to the town. The first thing he saw was the burned out block, but then saw the drugstore sign on the next block. He reached the store and was about to go in when he saw Lila’s rifle lying in the doorway.
He checked out the store and evaluated the scene and decided that she had been abducted. If it had been an animal attack, there would have been blood. Her gun still had a full magazine, so it hadn’t been fired.
I knew then—or maybe I just hoped real hard—that she was still alive. It was almost as if she had left the rifle as a sign that she was okay. My heart was pounding. I had to find her.
While he was there, he grabbed some candy bars—he needed sugar—and a bottle of warm water, as well as a box of bandages and
some antibiotic cream. He sat to rest his wound, and looked down to see a few of his friends still doing their job. Now the big question: Which way? He was going to have to guess. He had no idea what the situation was.
Luckily, a few minutes later, he no longer had to wonder. He heard yelling, and, struggling to his feet, grabbed Lila’s rifle as well as his own. He pulled some of the bandages from the box and stuffed them in his pocket. The yelling was coming from the next street over. He limped around the corner to see a 1950s Chevy convertible with four soldiers standing next to it. At least they dressed that way. The way they were acting, the probability was that they weren’t soldiers at all. They were surrounding a man, a woman, and a young teenaged boy. He crept up so he could hear the conversation.
“But we don’t want to come with you,” said the man.
“You’re not safe out here,” answered one of the soldiers. “We have a camp with a lot of people. You’ll be protected there. You need to come with us.”
“What if we refuse?”
“You can’t refuse. The major needs you to help start this country again. You have no choice. C’mon, let’s go.” They started pulling the three into the car.
Ben was now only twenty feet away, hidden by a dead car. He stepped out from behind and cocked his rifle. The four soldiers spun in his direction.
“It seems to me,” said Ben, inching closer, “that these people don’t want to go with you. I think you should listen to them.”
“Who the hell are you?” asked one of the men
Ben suddenly realized what a sight he was: mud from head to toe; one leg of his jeans ripped up to the crotch; an ugly wound; limping; and carrying a pistol, two rifles, and a crossbow.
“Eeww, shit,” said one of the men. “He’s got maggots on his leg.”
Oh yeah, I forgot that part, thought Ben.
“Hey,” said one with sergeant stripes. “I bet you’re the boyfriend. Lila’s boyfriend.”
“I am.”
“Then you should come with us. Your girlfriend is at the camp. She’ll be real glad to see you.”
“I’m sure she didn’t go to your camp willingly,” responded Ben.
“Well, not at first, but now she’s real happy there.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Ben answered sarcastically. He aimed his rifle. “How about you set down your weapons, then let these people go.”
“One of you against four of us,” said the sergeant.
Ben fired and the redhead flew against the side of the car, then fell to the ground.
“Three of you.”
“Shit!” exclaimed one of the soldiers. “He killed Ray.”
The man and his family pulled themselves away from the soldiers and stepped back. The kid pulled a pistol out of his belt. His hand was shaking.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ben said gently. “I’ve got it. Today doesn’t have to be the day you kill your first scumbag.” He addressed the soldiers. “Now who’s going to tell me where your camp is?”
“Go to hell,” spit the sergeant. Ben shot him in the chest. “I repeat my question.”
“About ten miles down that road,” said one of the two remaining soldiers.
“You idiot,” said the other. “Don’t tell him that.” He raised his M-16 and Ben shot him. He fell to the ground.
“Please don’t shoot me,” pleaded the other. “I just joined them because I had nowhere else to go.”
“Leave your weapon and take off that uniform. You don’t deserve to have that on.” Ben thought of his brother as he said that.
The man stripped to his underwear.
“Now go. Go in the opposite direction from the camp. If I see you again, I will kill you. Run!”
He hustled away, looking over his shoulder as if Ben was going to shoot him in the back.
“Thank you,” said the man. “I’m Art. This is my wife Joan, and my son Pete.”
“I’m Ben.”
“And your girlfriend is Lila. We’ve heard stories about you.”
“I’m sure they were exaggerated,” replied Ben.
Art looked at the dead men, then back at Ben. “I don’t think so.”
“You look hurt,” said Joan. “Is there anything we can do?”
“No thanks. I may look a mess, but I’m actually healing.”
“Gross,” exclaimed Pete. “You really do have maggots on your leg.”
“I do,” said Ben. “They saved my life.”
“I can’t believe you just shot those guys,” continued Pete. “You didn’t even look scared.”
It occurred to Ben that he wasn’t scared. People like that no longer frightened him. Maybe because his own death no longer frightened him. In his old life, these fake soldiers would be considered a nuisance. They’d be slapped with a fine for their various crimes of stupidity, or spend some time in jail. It was a new world. Ben had no patience and felt no kindness for men like that. The sooner they were dealt with, the better off everyone would be.
He looked at Pete. “You want to help me drag these guys off the road? If they have friends who come looking, I want them to wonder what happened to them.”
Pete obviously didn’t like the idea of touching the dead guys, but Ben could tell that he was trying to grow up. A few weeks ago, his life consisted of video games and TV. Probably nothing in his world was real. Now it was all real, and the transition had come way too fast.
Together, and with the parents’ help, they pulled the bodies into some trees. They weren’t visible from the road. Ben searched through their pockets for anything that he could use. He found a couple of packs of cigarettes and lighters. He kept the lighters, figuring they might come in handy.
“I’m going to take the car to rest my leg while I get closer to this camp they talked about,” explained Ben. “You’re welcome to take it after me.”
“Thanks, but I think not,” answered Art. “It could only bring us trouble if his friends see us in it. We live in Harrisburg, and now that the bodies in the city have gone a long way toward decomposition, we’re going to see if we can move back into our house. We don’t know what we’re going to do, but at least we’re together.”
Ben could see tears in his eyes.
What would they do? They could move back into their home and try to make adjustments in their living habits, but for how long? They were trying to pick up from a life that didn’t exist anymore. Wouldn’t it be better to start fresh in some mountain cabin or ocean beach house? I felt sorry for them. For Lila and me, our life started the day of the disaster. For these people, it ended. How do you start fresh when you haven’t let go of the old?
They said goodbye and thanked Ben again. He left them with the suggestion that they take the M-16s from the dead men to protect themselves. One solitary pistol stuck in a belt wasn’t going to do it. He thought about taking one of the M-16s, but he was comfortable with what he had. Then he drove off. It felt strange to be driving again.
In some ways, it was a culture clash. Walking and experiencing the quiet of the world around us had become our new life. Driving like this was like fingernails on a chalkboard. As time went on, I had less and less desire for the conveniences of our old life. The only thing I wanted right now was to find Lila. She was alive! Now I just had to get her out of there. And of course, if everyone else was being held against their will, I’d have to free them all. The life of a folk hero wasn’t easy.
When he had gone about eight miles, according to the odometer, he found a driveway off the road. He pulled right into an open garage, left the keys on the seat, and closed the garage door. The four men from the camp officially ceased to exist.
He finally applied the cream and a bandage to his wound. The last of the maggots had fallen off, and he wished them well and thanked them for their healing. He hoofed it the rest of the way. It was slow going, as his leg still hurt, but he didn’t want to chance getting any closer in the car and being seen or heard.
He smelled wood smoke and knew he was getting
close. He got off the road and traveled through the woods until he reached an enormous clearing with buildings, a fence, and dozens of people all milling about. Darkness was beginning to set in and he could see people lining up for a meal. No sign of Lila yet. Wait! There she was, in line with those guys from the trail, Dan and Gordon.
I wanted to jump out of the woods and run up to the fence shouting, “Lila, it’s me.” I knew she was worried about me and probably felt guilty about leaving me, so I wanted her to know I was alright. However, I had to do this the right way. I had to see how many guards I was dealing with and come up with a plan to free her. For the moment, she was fine, so I had time.
Ben was suddenly exhausted. He found a soft spot on the ground, far from the sight of the guards and curled up and fell asleep.
The next morning he was up early watching the camp.
He observed as Lila was eating her breakfast—it looked like slop—and a guard came over to talk to her. He saw him dump her tray over her front. Ben imprinted the man’s face in his brain. He wasn’t going to live long.
He saw some guards open up a building and carry cans of gas out to an old pickup. That might be valuable to know, he thought, looking at the building and thinking of his lighters. The building was wood. But it was also inside the fence, which might present a problem. Two men got in the pickup and took off. Ben could see Lila, with Dan and Gordon, watching the morning’s events. Ben knew they were going off to look for their missing buddies.
He spent the rest of the day just observing. The pickup returned a couple of hours after breakfast and there was definitely some panic among the guards. Good, he thought. He hadn’t come up with a plan yet, but decided it was time to deplete the opposing forces a bit. That night he would take out a few of the guards.
Eden Rising (Eden Rising Trilogy Book 1) Page 12
