Eden's Root

by Rachel Fisher

  Still, he knew the reason he didn’t leave the City. Better to face the devil you know than the devil you don’t, he thought. Because no matter how bad it was, he had no idea what was out there, beyond the City’s boundaries. With a heavy exhale, Asher turned into the warehouse. Time for another night crawl, he thought with resignation.

  ----------- Sean -----------

  Four hours later, huddled in a nearby shadow, Sean shifted around in silence. Fi still had not reached the meeting point, and he waited for her with his gun drawn, but lowered. He hated that gun, he thought, sighing in the dark, but it made his heart lighter that he’d found some drugs for Rachel. Without warning, Sean felt several hands grab him from behind.

  “Mmmphmmmph!” his cry was strangled when a hand clapped itself over his mouth. He struggled and thrashed to get into fighting position, to free himself, but there were too many of them. The Glock clattered out of his hand.

  Though he couldn’t be sure in the darkness, it seemed like there were three attackers. The tallest one got him down on the ground and he heard the telltale sound of duct tape ripping off the roll as they bound his hands behind his back.

  “Hey,” he protested as they flipped him and sealed his mouth with the duct tape. It was so tight that it pulled his face and made it hard to breathe even through his nose. Adrenalin coursed through him, sending his heart beat through the roof. Trying to remain calm, Sean focused on strategy. Of the three, only the tall one seemed to give orders and the others obeyed. He must be the Leader, Sean noted. Rough hands dragged him up by his bound arms, and pain shot through his shoulders. They shoved him along, half pushing and half dragging him forward through the doorway to the buildings behind them.

  There was broken glass everywhere. In the darkness Sean could feel it crunching underfoot. He tried counting steps but lost track as he stumbled along. The gang members who had him seemed sure of their steps, even in the dark. Sean realized that this must be familiar territory…their territory he thought, shivering with nerves. Whatever they planned to do with them, he doubted it would be good. What was worse was that Fi was still out there. His fears for her suddenly sent him into a near panic. What if she had been captured as well? He prayed that she would leave him, as they had agreed while planning for this raid.

  After mapping out their possible meet-up points, Sean had suggested limiting the time one of them waits for the other, in case of possible capture or even murder by Others. Neither of them had ever suggested a step this extreme before, but this raid was going to be different, they both knew.

  “I won’t have it,” Fi had said, shaking her head at him. “I won’t have one of us leave the other behind, no way,” she insisted.

  Sean had sighed. “Fi, be realistic. That is all I’m trying to do here,” he had said with his usual level-headedness. “Do you really believe that it pleases me to suggest a course where I leave you behind?” In the end Fi had agreed, and now Sean was thankful. He prayed that she was fine and that she would simply leave to go back to the Family. His worst nightmare, the thing that made his heart truly race, he realized, was the fear that Fi would come looking for him. As he was shoved down a dark staircase he whimpered, just slightly, at the thought. One of the two hulks grabbing him by the arms snickered.

  “What,” he sneered, “is the little baby going to cry?” he laughed and then shoved Sean forward. In the darkness, he tripped and fell hard, twisting to land on his side on the way down.

  “Mmmppppf,” his nose grunted above the strip of thick tape as his shoulder hit the ground.

  Jesus that had hurt, he thought, beginning to worry more about his own situation and the immediate pain that could be coming. He didn’t know what to expect, but he’d seen enough of cruel Others to be truly frightened. They came to a stop and as Sean stood shaking, a metal scraping sound broke the silence. The same man who pushed Sean to the ground gave him another shove, causing the tall figure to chide him.

  “Easy Conner,” he said. “We’re just here to question him, not kill him.” For a moment Sean’s heart slowed a tiny fraction with relief. “At least not until we know more,” the man added. Sean’s heart leapt again, thumping so hard he was sure that they could hear it. Hands cut his hands apart, shoved him into a chair, and rebound his hands and legs to the chair with duct tape. It was so tight that he could feel his feet start to go numb immediately. Feeling helpless, Sean truly began to panic. Tears welled in his eyes and his teeth chattered. He clamped his jaw to try to stop it. He couldn’t see, he could hardly breathe, and he couldn’t move. The truth was that he was terrified.

  Suddenly a light clicked on and Sean blinked, turning his head to move away from the burning in his eyes. The circle of light was limited, but from what Sean could see they were in an empty grocery store. The irony of the location was not lost on him as he breathed hard in anger and frustration. There were three gang members as he thought, or at least, that was what he saw. All wore red clothing. Two were wearing stupid tracksuit pants, Sean observed in annoyance. The tall one stood at least six foot and wore a red t-shirt and cargo pants. As Sean studied him, his gaze moved to the object strapped to his back.

  Holy shit, it’s a sword, he thought, panicking. What the hell? Was this guy going to cut him up? He could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead despite the cool air. The other two men stood behind him in formation. This was definitely the Leader, like Fi, he thought.

  Wham! Sean’s head spun around as the tall one’s open hand slammed into his face hard. Ok, he thought, maybe not like Fi. His head swum and he sucked air hard through his nose. The two thugs standing behind the tall one snickered. Wham! Another backhand spun his head from the other side this time. Jesus, he thought, as his mind started to fade out. The sound of the duct tape ripping off of his mouth brought him back.

  “Ow!” Sean yelled as the tape ripped the soft skin off his mouth. Wham! Another hard slap connected, whipping his head around again.

  “Quiet!” the Leader commanded. “You speak only when I ask a question, you got me?” he said calmly and Sean nodded. He knelt down close to Sean, so he could look into his eyes. “Who else is with you?” he asked. “How many?” Of course this was the question, Sean thought. They assume he’s with another gang, or at least that he’s not alone. Who travels alone these days?

  He shook his head, his bloody lip jutting. “No one, I’m all alone.”

  “C’mon I mean it,” the Leader said angrily, standing and backhanding Sean across the face again, the sound echoing in the huge warehouse. “Who else is with you? How many?” he demanded.

  Sean just shook his head and croaked, “I told you, I’m all alone!”

  The man to the right of the leader snarled, “C’mon Ash, it’s time to get harder on him. No one travels alone out here anymore,” he spit as he glared at Sean. “It’s suicide,” he hissed. This was not a statement, Sean knew, it was a threat.

  “Yeah,” Sean said, “But the last member of my Family died last month so I’m alone.” He turned his eyes downward and sighed as convincingly as he could, waiting for the next blow. Suddenly a female voice shouted from behind him and his heart sank through the floor. His worst fear had come true.

  Gangs of New York

  ----------- Fi -----------

  Fi cursed herself. She should have known something was wrong when she had arrived at their meeting point. There was no way she should have gotten there first with all the stops she took along the way. Instead, she had ignored her gut and reasoned with herself, trying to stay calm as the minutes ticked by without Sean arriving. Until she heard his cry.

  When she first heard noises behind her, she had been frightened, but her blood turned to ice when she recognized Sean’s voice. It was obvious now who had been caught, she thought with a sinking heart. Though she knew that Sean would want her to run, there was no way in hell she could do that. Following the voices led her into the bowels of a basement grocery store. In the dim haze, she peeked around a metal shelf and saw the
single worst thing she had seen since the Famine began.

  Three men dressed in red stood staring at someone who was strapped to a metal chair. The tall one slapped the person in the chair hard and Fi recognized Sean as his head spun with the force of the blow. Wham! The sound echoed as the tall one hit Sean again. Fi’s stomach turned and she almost gagged out loud.

  “Who is with you?” the tall one yelled again and Sean insisted that he was alone. Wow, Fi thought with pride. Sean was very brave. She examined the three more closely to check their weapons. One had a gun tucked into his waistband. Great, she thought. The other guy she couldn’t really see. The thing that made her stare, her gaze completely transfixed, was the weapon of the tall one. Now that she was closer she could see that he was over six feet tall with a long blonde braid, and amazingly, a sword.

  Jesus Christ, she thought. Is this really happening? The sword frightened her more than the gun, but she knew that it was up to her to get them both out of there alive. Steeling herself, Fi gripped her weapon. Adrenalin coursed through her like an old friend. Time to show off your skills to these boys, she thought. In one fluid motion, Fi rolled out from behind the shelf to stand with her .22 pointed squarely at the Leader’s head.

  “Drop your weapons and back away from the boy!” Each step she took toward the trio was deliberate, her focus never wavering. The gang members startled and the two behind the leader snickered.

  “Look Ash,” the one on the right said, “the Princess is here to rescue her Prince. What’s a matter honey, you want your baby back?”

  “Nice outfits guys,” she sneered at him, “Didja get those on layaway?” Narrowing her eyes, Fi loaded the chamber as quick as lightning.

  “Easy! Easy!” the Leader yelled. “We don’t want any trouble,” he said addressing Fi directly and raising his hands. “We are just defending our territory and resources. We’ve been raided many times and we have mouths to feed.”

  “I. Don’t. Care.” Fi emphasized each word. “I said, ‘Drop your weapons and step away from the boy.’ I think I was pretty fucking clear.” Her gaze was steady, but she saw the hands of the man on the left twitch toward the gun tucked into his waistband.

  “C’mon Asher, she doesn’t have any ammo in that thing” he whined, “Ammo is practically impossible to get. She’s just bluffing us.” He turned toward the Leader, his tone pleading and threatening at the same time. “We can’t afford to let them take shit from our turf man, it’s ours,” he wheedled. “Let’s just take care of this bitch and her little baby friend and go home.” Without waiting for his leader’s response, his hand flashed for the gun and Fi fired.

  “Aaaggghhh!” the man yelled, clutching his bleeding right hand with his left. The other man turned to look, but the Leader’s eyes never left hers. She reloaded the chamber in a split second, holding the .22 on the Leader’s head once again.

  “She fucking shot me man!” the injured man screamed, groaning and grabbing his hand. “That bitch shot me! God dammit, Jesus Christ man. You’re dead!” He yelled at her in agony, waving his good hand.

  “Obviously I have ammo.” Her tone was dismissive. “And clearly I’m not afraid to use it. I shot your hand purposely as a warning. There are plenty of supplies in the pharmacies to patch you up, so be grateful. Next time I will go for something more…vital.” She smirked, as she turned her gun from the Leader’s head to the man’s crotch.

  “No, No, No!” he squealed, crouching with his bloody hands covering himself. Fi quickly swung the gun back toward the Leader. “Didn’t think so,” she sniffed, her aim set. “Good choice, by the way,” she added. The other man standing behind the Leader muffled a laugh, but the Leader’s expression still did not change.

  He tilted his head, considering her. “I’d say we’ve got something on our hands boys, but it’s definitely not a princess. Clearly,” he addressed Fi, “You’re a warrior.” Fi snorted at this. Gimme a break, she thought. “And you may be the quickest shot I have ever seen,” his tone was honest. “At this point, I have to worry for the safety of my men as much as you do for yours.”

  “Bullshit,” Fi spat, “You outnumber us and my man can hardly fight, seeing as he is strapped to a chair and all,” she said, annoyed. “So what do you suggest to resolve this little problem? I’m not leaving without him and we are leaving alive.” The Leader tilted his head to the side, an amused smile ghosting across his lips for a spilt second. Why did I notice that, Fi wondered? She shook it off, regaining her focus.

  “Tell you what,” the Leader said, raising his hands in a placating gesture, “Let’s just start with names…I’m Asher, Asher Grey. I’m the Leader of my Gang, the Dragons, and it’s my responsibility to keep them safe from raiders and outsiders.”

  “Ok, fine.” Her aim was unwavering. “I’m Fi Kelly. I’m also the Leader of my Family,” she emphasized the difference in terms, “and I make sure they are kept safe as well.” Asher peered at her in shock, but Fi ignored it. His was not an unusual reaction to this statement. “I also must lead our raids for resources to stay alive, it’s our only choice. It’s not our intention to reduce the chances of survival for others, but it is my mission to increase it for my own people.”

  “Ok Fi,” Asher said, considering. “So it seems we have this little stand-off going and I think that we can fix it with a simple barter…” he began, when suddenly, above them, several new figures poured down the staircase.

  “Dragons…” the middle one called in a deep voice, “Come out to plaaaayy…”

  Asher cursed angrily to himself and reached for his sword. Fi used his distraction to dash to Sean’s side, and in one flash of her knife, she freed him. In an instant, he leapt from the chair and broke into his fighting stance with her. They stood back to back, facing all attackers, Fi with her weapon drawn.

  As she peered through the dim light at the newcomers, her heart stopped. Jesus, she thought, shocked. All of them had colorful zigzag lines tattooed on their faces. Most were marked on the right side of the face, with the exception of the one who had called out to them. He must be the Leader, she decided. His tattoos ran from his top left temple downward diagonally to his lower right jawbone. They look crazy, Fi thought, feeling her fear intensify. There were five of them, and like the Dragons they wore matching colors -- all black.

  Fi assessed the situation. She and Sean were the closest to the staircase, but getting out of this place wouldn’t be so easy. The new attackers were between them and the only way out, and they’d have to slip by safely with their packs. They couldn’t leave without the packs, she knew, the Family would die without the provisions. Crap, they were really stuck. Her heart pounded.

  “Well, well, well,” the leader of the new gang remarked, his gaze fixed on Fi and Sean, “What do we have here? Are we breaking up a little tea party among girls?” he sneered, the expression twisting his tattoos into a garish mask. Fi felt her a ripple of fear float through her, followed by anger. Great, Fi thought. Awesome. More psychos, just what she needed.

  The entire Dragon gang had shifted its focus to the intruders. Fi saw that they too were in fighting stance, with weapons drawn. The one she’d shot held his gun awkwardly with his left hand and cursed under his breath. One thing was universal about the three men. She saw worry in their eyes. That can’t be good, she thought, her heart pounding harder. With surprise, Fi realized that the Leader, Asher, had drawn his long, gleaming sword. For a split second, the fleeting sensation passed through her that she’d stepped into a movie, but she shook it off. Whatever this was about to be, she thought, it was unfortunately very real. Asher spoke in a calm voice.

  “Sid, this isn’t Lobo territory. It’s none of your concern.” He gestured toward Fi and Sean. “These two violated our turf and we are taking care of it. Nothing to see here,” he smiled sarcastically and gestured with his sword. “Move along.” Gentle laughter rippled up from Sid’s gang, but not the kind that was reassuring. The hair on Fi’s neck stood up.

  “Looks
like a fight Fi,” Sean whispered. “I don’t think we want a piece of these Lobos. Think we can slip away?” Sid and his men split up and stalked along the walls in both directions, surrounding the entire group.

  “Don’t think so,” she shook her head. “I think we are in it now.” Sid spoke again as he skulked around them like a tiger considering its meal.

  “Asher, really? Are you this big a pussy? You haven’t even had the girl yet?” he gestured to Fi. She shuddered and felt Sean stiffen beside her. She touched his hand. Don’t, she was thinking. Don’t move.

  “Or did you start with the boy because you,” Sid paused and pretended to look over his nails, “prefer him?”

  The Lobos laughed again while Fi’s blood surged with hatred and disgust and she felt gratitude. Her anger helped her to focus. All of the Lobos had weapons, mostly knives and clubs. Fi saw just two guns in the room: her own and the one on the man she’d shot. She wondered if the Dragon’s gun actually worked, or if it was a bluff. It seemed like the guy could have already taken out one of the Lobos. Squinting, she peered at his gun. Of course, she realized, it was Sean’s Glock. They’d disarmed him and that asshole had kept the gun. Fi smiled, now she knew exactly how much ammunition he had. Sid ceased his pacing and narrowed his eyes and then, like a bolt of lightning, the scene exploded.

  “Now!” Sid shouted to his men and all five leapt from their positions to attack. The Dragon with the gun did fire, but he missed and it was only a few rounds before Fi heard the telltale clicking of an empty magazine. Sean never carried much ammo, just an “emergency” clip. The Lobos had the entire group surrounded, and to Fi that meant being surrounded by two enemies. A Lobo rushed them from behind and Sean stiffened.

  “Duck!” he screamed and they both dove and rolled away from each other while the man lunged past. Sean and Fi had practiced fighting in formation many times. Their moves were well rehearsed. Fi jumped back up into her fighting stance, her gun still ready. She turned and saw that the Lobo had engaged Sean. Ducking again, Sean was successfully avoiding contact and using the attacker’s energy, letting him wear himself out in the chase. Her right eye twitched as she felt someone nearby and she whirled. The Dragon that she’d shot was kicking a Lobo who lay on the ground just two feet away. He kicked the body viciously, though it did not move.