Apocalypse Chronicles (Book 1): SunDown, Part 1

by K. , T. Dawn.

  The woman grabbed onto the leg of the boy and began prying him from the man’s grip. "JORGGIE LET HIM GO!" She loosened a foot and kicked the man in the face.

  Stunned, he lost his grip on the ledge and plummeted. I jumped back as he fell to the unforgiving pavement. The smack echoed throughout the buildings. His body giving a quiet hiss as it wet the hot pavement. I glanced up in time to see the boys legs pulled back to safety. I could hear the crying of the boy and woman.

  I looked over to the mangled body of the man still jerking as death swept through his body. His eyes rested on me as he went still. Sticking out of one of the man's pockets was a small bear.

  I dropped my head in silent contempt. It had little pajamas matching the boy's that was not far from where we now stood. I bent down and pulled it from the dead man. I looked back to the top of the building and listened for sounds of further distress. I didn't see anyone. Content that the two were fine on their own I walked back to the boy. Maybe his bear would soothe him.

  I was kidding myself, I knew that. But in days like these, it's the simple acts of humanity that give me hope. And when you're on your own you commit them at the strangest times and in even stranger ways.

  Opportunity doesn't knock often at the end of the world. I thought to myself about how uncivil the world was before all this. It's hard to believe it got worse.

  Lost in my thoughts I realized I had passed the boy and turned around to make my way back to him. I stopped and rocked on my feet a bit. I hadn't passed him.

  "Where did you go?" I passed carefully around the large pipe I had escaped only minutes before, giving a pilots salute to the aggressive still trapped inside by the sunlight.

  He snapped at me bearing his teeth and reaching out only to again be burned by the rays of the sun. I stuck my tongue out at him and walked on. I stopped just past the pipe as I heard laughter on the other side of a covered Humvee beside the pipe.

  "Look at him, he's still trying to bite me! Little freak!" A boy’s voice clipped in a mocking tone.

  A group of young men were standing around the boy as he burned in the sun. One of them wielding a large piece of scrap metal. They were briefly holding it over the boy and pulling it back to prolong the process of him burning.

  I took a look around me at the debris across the ground, settling on a piece of metal slightly thinner than my arm. I picked it up and swung it broadside across the space between me and the Humvee shattering the driver side window. The boys screeched and scattered like insects tripping and chattering as they ran. Not one of them looked back.

  "Cowards!"

  I tossed the pipe aside and stepped around to the boy. He had stopped squirming and he was looking at me. His lips reared back just enough to expose his gums above his already showing teeth. I pulled the bear from my waistband and paused as I took the steps toward him.

  His eyes went straight to it and his face relaxed, I almost thought he smiled. I dropped it to the ground and kicked it to him. His hand slowly rested upon the belly of the bear. His eyes drifted one more time to me and back to the bear, where they stayed.

  He went still and his flesh began to flow melodically in the wind, settling as ash across the ground. His little noises stopped and he closed his eyes. The final sign he was gone.

  It was then that I thought, maybe there is peace in the end. Maybe there is something human left in the monsters. Maybe he still would have chewed my leg off had I been close enough. In a world full of maybes, one thing was now certain.

  This chaotic world still needed people like me. People who could overlook all the ugly, and move on. Even if there was nowhere to go.

  Well I certainly believed in the phrase 'No rest for the wicked' at this point. After several hours I had finally found a safe place to rest my head. I found sanctuary in a small plywood shack several miles from the military airport.

  Not much of a shelter from the elements but it was packed with items suitable for weaponry, some small knives and a mallet of some sort. I chose a small hatchet I found as my carry-on weapon. There was a small amount of food and water. I ate my fill of SPAM and peaches and packed the rest. My first meal in about four days and it was like Christmas dinner.

  I slept there for five or so hours until I felt the night creeping in, I relied on my instincts to wake me before nightfall and not once had they let me down. I had found a small backpack in the mess of the shack, Scooby Doo on the front pocket. I chuckled because it reminded me of a time when such things mattered.

  All packed up with my loot, I left the shack with only a couple of hours before dark. I walked about half a mile and found a bicycle, a day full of blessings! To rest my old ass on the tiny rock hard seat and ride that bike the next few miles was like winning the lottery.

  The happiness was short as the sun began to set and the rust of the bike frame won the battle giving way beneath me. It would figure, in the middle of nowhere. On the horizon just beyond reach a stretch of buildings and a water tower wavered in the rays of the heat. The only place where I might find safety. The sun was taunting me, seeming to dip away faster every time I looked at it.

  I could hear the dance of the dead beginning, moaning and snarling, I could almost smell them. The town ahead was probably full of them, but I knew all too well getting caught in the open could be much worse.

  I did a quick stretch and warm-up before I began my sprint to the water tower over-looking the town, the easiest place to keep watch. I stayed alert keeping my breaths in time with my feet, the handle of the hatchet leaving a bruise across my outer thigh as it bounced from its place in my belt loop.

  There was a group of moon-junkies at the boarder of town, and aggressives lined up along the darkness against buildings. I pushed myself faster to the center of the small town and launched myself up the six feet to the broken ladder. I hung there a moment, catching my breath. Pulling myself up, I took a look around.

  Aggressives began to emerge from the shadows. I climbed up the length of the ladder and sat with my legs over the edge and my arms across the rail. I watched the sun end the day as it slipped quickly behind the hills.

  Again it was night. I was startled when just as soon as the darkness set in, I was blinded by lights all across the town. I pulled my legs back sensing suddenly something off with the town.

  Taking another quick look around I saw several things that put me at unease. The rattling of chains pulled my attention. I could see now that the aggressives below were wearing them on their ankles and necks. They were all shackled, the chains leading to various points in the dark.

  "Damn." I rested my head against the tower. What twisted tale was I going to play a part in now?

  Chapter 2

  Welcome To Neverland

  NEVADA MAY 24TH 2029

  "Alright boys! We're gonna do this right tonight. No screw ups like last week. Neptune is going to be fine, but water runs are going to be harder for him without two legs so we're gonna train one of you to start helping him. After that debacle, do we now understand how important a solid plan is?"

  "Yes, Coach." A chorus of voices sounded, a group of kids.

  I pulled my chin to the ledge of the tower balcony and looked down to see a group of seven children standing around a man with a clipboard and a whistle. He looked to be in his early sixties and had a sawed off shotgun strapped to his back.

  The guy was dressed like a 90's teen. He was wearing ripped jeans and a flannel button up with the sleeves cut off and a backwards ball cap over graying hair that brushed his neck. His full beard making him look like trailer park Santa.

  "Ok we're gonna start with a specialty warm up. Zoe, I need you to do a run and tag. You need to work on covering Nep since he won't be able to spider monkey his way out. Wreck, you're gonna be Nep for this exercise. Sir, you man the chains. Give us fifteen feet." The man was talking to three kids at the front of the group.

  "Fifteen? She barely got past ten last week." A tall thin boy spoke from the back. He had tousled red ha
ir and was wearing a light blue collared shirt tucked into a pair of khakis. He looked ready to tell me about his lord and savior.

  "I'm sorry Tom, is that you doubting me?" The girl at the front of the group turned towards him.

  She was thin and tall with red hair braided up into a bun on the top of her head. She was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that was modified to hold a bow on her back, the hood serving as a quiver. She had what looked like pants made from duct tape on and combat boots that came up to her calves.

  "Nah, sis, I just- I don't want you getting hurt again." Tom looked down and shuffled his toe at a rock. "We didn't think you were gonna make it. And with Nep down it seems like an unnecessary risk right now. Why not just work on the ten until you have it down?"

  "Because, on water runs they aren't chained up at all, twin." Zoe said this with a look on her face like this had been an ongoing argument.

  "She'll be fine, Tom. If memory serves she had a hard time because she had to worry about you. Isn't that right?" The man gave Tom a quick glance and he nodded. "Let's get to it. Sir, hit the chains. Zoe you're gonna go through this as Wrecks cover remember? That means you watch his back and stay out of the way. Wreck you've got four challenge stations. Complete the challenge at all four and make it back here to the start. Okay, get up here."

  The two moved up to a line that was marked in the dirt. Zoe and the one called Wreck, a muscular white kid with platinum blonde hair slicked back and under armor style running gear. He had a sniper rifle across his back and he looked mean as hell.

  "I want the rest of you up top. Watch for mistakes and keep quiet. No call outs on this one. They're on their own. No life lines. Got it?" The man’s question was answered with nods from the group. "All right then. Everyone up top. You two got a ten count then Sir lets 'em loose. Good luck."

  The man and the rest of the kids went to a set of stairs leading up to a balcony overlooking the improv town square. Tom stopped at the bottom of the stairs and sent a hand signal to his sister. She returned it and said something quietly to Wreck. He shrugged and took his mark getting ready for the challenge.

  There was a loud clank followed by snarls and rushing aggressives. The two took off straight into them, Wreck jumping over debris and sliding under grabbing hands. Zoe stuck a few paces back and expertly took down aggs’ with her bow seeming to only skip those easily avoided.

  They reached the first station and Wreck quickly looked over a metal box mounted on a pole. Pulling out a screwdriver from his waistband, he popped the box open. After a few moments he began pulling wires and stripping them.

  I looked over to the spectators who were murmuring quietly to each other. The man was marking stuff off on his clipboard and watching the two down below. Tom was pacing and muttering to himself occasionally writing something down on a piece of paper he pulled from his pocket.

  Another clank sounded and more aggs’ shot out of the dark. At least twenty of them ran at the two. Zoe kept a firm stance in front of Wreck taking them down one by one, pausing only to pull arrows from the closest kills.

  Wreck finished the task and moved on to the next. He launched himself over a truck laying on its side blocking the path. Zoe barely kept up struggling to get over the truck muttering a curse as she took down two aggs’ on the boy's tail. It was close, a second later and he would have been a goner. The man up top didn't look too happy about that.

  The girl had skills that was for damn sure. She kept a steady string of arrows going and was hardly winded. It seemed like she was always a step ahead of the aggs’ and the boy.

  The rest of the run was almost flawless. A trip or slip here and there and then they finished. They had wow factor in spades.

  I caught myself just before giving a little clap of my hands. Looking over I could see that the others didn't look quite so impressed. The man with the clipboard was definitely not happy.

  "What the hell was that?" The man was yelling as he stomped down the stairs to meet the two at the bottom. The others were assisting in reeling the chained aggs’ back.

  "Um, what was what?" Wreck asked with an incredulous look on his face.

  "Do you have any idea how many times Zoe just saved your ass?" The man was damn near nose to nose with the boy. "Not to mention you all but left her for dead at the truck."

  "Not as many as I saved hers? And she made it over just fine."

  "Are you joking? You would be dead without me." Zoe shot a glare at the boy cold enough to freeze hell.

  "I don't know how many times I'll have to say it." The man began addressing the rest of the group as they all gathered around. "Don't know how I could possibly paint a clearer picture. TEAMWORK!" He slapped a heavy hand against his clipboard.

  The other kids were looking at Wreck like they wanted to tear him apart. There was a tension in the group that was thick enough the air around them seemed to shake. They all stood arms crossed staring him down.

  "Well," Wreck threw his hands out, "Let’s hear it. Tell me why I'm so terrible. Dyin' to hear." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the stair railing.

  "It's not a joke man. You almost got my sister killed." Tom looked like he was ready to throttle the kid.

  "How so? I completed the challenges with little help from her, thanks for the backup Zo', you're a peach." He winked at her and flicked her nose, earning a slap on his arm.

  "Wreck I hope you know there's not much anyone can do to keep me from knocking your teeth out at this point." A lanky Hispanic kid spoke up from next to Zoe.

  "Oh that's rich. We've established you can't take me, Mer." Wreck rolled his eyes.

  "We all know I hold back, because you would cry yourself to sleep after I beat your ass you self-righteous-" The kid let loose a string of words in Spanish that sounded anything but appropriate, causing a couple of the others to gasp and flinch, veins pulsing in his shaved head.

  "Stop blaming me for that! He might have the mind of a child, but he's still too fast!" The two boys were now nose to nose, spit flying from Wreck's mouth in his rage, His neck cranked up to cover the half-foot height gap. "I did what I could to stop him! Was I supposed to let them take more than Nep's leg?" He gave Mer a good shove and a large Hispanic kid with flames shaved into his black hair stepped between them.

  "Enough!" He gave them both a firm push away from each other and neither would make eye contact with him. "I swear every damn day I have to stand between the two of you. How the hell you're both older than me and act ten years younger is pathetic. Take paces!" He pointed both hands in opposite directions.

  "Alright, Bud we're cool." Wreck put his hands up and took several steps back.

  "Keep your damn mouth shut." Mer shoved a finger in Wreck's direction.

  "Mer!" Bud only took half a step before Mer finally backed up.

  It was quiet for several moments with the kids looking between each other seeming to gauge if the hostility was over. A short pale kid with purple around his eyes from the back of the group stepped forward and the others looked to him. He was the one named Sir that had worked the chains.

  "Are we good?" He spoke firm and even and made eye contact with everyone, continuing when they all nodded.

  "We're all dead if we don't work together. Yeah, some of us are better at things than others-" he glared at Wreck. "That doesn't mean we abandon them or look down on them."

  Turning back to the group he said, "We had a real close call last week. We lost Thirteen and may never get him back. The cannibals came closer than they ever have, it's only a matter of time before they find us." He gave a shrug and exhaled.

  "It wasn't my fault." Wrecks voice was quiet and I almost didn't hear him. "I-I tried to grab him." He closed his fist around air and his voice broke.

  "We know you did all you could Wreck. No one expected him to hide in the truck. Neptune is alive because of the choice you made." Sir spoke with compassion. "Look, we have to get past the blame. The animosity is going to get somebody killed." He looked around at
the others again and gave a sharp nod to the man with the clipboard. "Coach."

  "I'm proud of what you kids accomplish, I really am, but it's what you aren't nailing down that is really going to hurt us. We're all we've got out here." He ran a hand over his face and clapped his hands together. "Let's go eat, yeah?" Clearing his throat he ushered the group inside.

  A small black boy no older than nine with tight black curls past his ears approached Coach and tugged on his shirt. The man leaned down and froze at whatever was said.

  He stood up straight and patted the boys head then pushed him quickly inside and closed the door, giving it a thump with the side of his fist. There was a loud click and he turned his head, looking straight up at me. I froze.

  "You plan on staying in your tower princess? Or are you gonna come down and introduce yourself?" He pulled the shotgun off of his back and aimed it at me.

  "I'm not looking for trouble." I said with my hands up as I pushed up from the ledge.

  "As trouble follows." He muttered. "What are you doing up there? Ain't no water if you're planning on stealing it."

  "No not at all. Just got caught between places in the dark. Thought I could wait out the night up here. I'll leave." I slowly moved to the ladder and made my way down.

  "Nah, you won't." The distinct pump-click-boom of a shotgun burst through the air.

  I jolted and gave a yell when the man fired at me. I panicked for a brief moment and looked back. When I realized I was still breathing I put my forehead to the cool rung.

  The agg I had forgotten about was at the bottom of the ladder with its head blown open like a flytrap. I sagged with relief and dropped the rest of the way down to the ground.

  "Oh, I won't shoot ya. Yet." The man chuckled and slung the shotgun back over his shoulders. "Come on in. We'll feed and bunk ya until sun up. Not like ya can take all of us."

  We made our way inside after he thumped on the door twice and kicked the bottom once. The kid called Sir was just inside the door, his brown hair matted with sweat to his pale forehead. His deep brown eyes were rimmed with a sickly purple. At just over five feet he was a runtling.