The Legion

by Melissa Delport

  Brooke is completely healed and she has quickly wormed her way into our hearts. She is also bringing Oliver out of his shell and, as I watch them climbing all over the seats of the bus, I can’t help but remember Aidan and me at that age. We were full of the same exuberant energy. Brooke is fearless and, proving me wrong, she is not in the least bit intimidated by the Deranged. Not only does she not keep her distance, but she actually seems to gravitate towards them, her curiosity outweighing any reservations she may have about invading their personal space. Surprisingly, they are all too happy to indulge her, seemingly entertained by her antics. Oliver’s father keeps a surreptitious eye on his son, but I can see the smile simmering just below the surface. He and the other two Deranged men who we found him with do not speak much, but Adam spends a few hours with them each day, as well as the other man and woman we picked up along the way.

  There is no point in cleaning up any of the rooms in town to sleep in, we are not going to be here long, so we all sleep in the cars. The Deranged are sleeping in the bus. It’s big enough for them each to have their own section and not encroach on one another’s space. Having enough food to go around satisfies their primary need of hunger, and this goes a long way to keeping the peace. In the barren lands, the Deranged fight over territory and resources, but nothing causes quite so much conflict as food. They will kill for it.

  I watch with a heavy heart as Aidan and Sofia draw closer together, spending hours alone and forming their own little couple within our group. Sofia is charming and her doe-eyed innocence would pull at even the hardest heart strings. I keep my distance, staying as far away from the two as I can. I don’t want to witness their budding relationship, nor do I want to see for myself the appeal that she holds for Aidan. I can’t bring myself to become close to a woman who may be garnering the affections of the man who was my first love and my soul mate. Reed is outwardly the same as ever, but he misses nothing and he rarely touches me when we put our heads down at night. I want to reassure him, but I am so confused I can’t find the words, and so we lie next to each other night after night, worlds apart.

  It takes a week for Loader to get the bus going. The seven days we spend in Modesto are the closest to feeling normal that I have experienced since we left Las Vegas. The sense of community developing within the group is undeniable, and I find that, for just a short while, I am able to forget we are at war. Watching the transformation of the Deranged first hand is inspiring. They are communicating well and showing an interest in all facets of our way of living. The lone man we found in Madera has latched onto Archer and accompanies him on all his hunting trips, eager to learn.

  On the eve of our departure I am walking to the fire to join the others. Not paying attention to where I am going, I am startled by the sound of voices. Curious, I follow the sound and am surprised to discover Aidan and Archer lying on the grass in a nearby garden. Realising I am invading their privacy, I am about to turn back when I hear my own name and I freeze. Peeking over the low wall, I keep absolutely still and listen intently.

  “I can’t believe you two were an item,” Archer laughs and Aidan shoves his shoulder, a grin on his handsome face.

  “Yeah, you and me both.”

  “She’s very easy on the eye,” Archer points out and I feel my cheeks go warm. Aidan’s response, however, makes me blink in surprise.

  “She’s just a bit too surreal, though, you know what I mean?” he asks and Archer nods. “I mean, she’s gorgeous and kick-ass, but how do you compete with that? How do you ever feel good enough?”

  “I’m sure she just wants what every woman wants, Aidan; to be loved and to be treated like a lady. Speaking of ladies, how’s the delectable Sofia treating you?” Archer’s suggestive tone and Aidan’s answering smirk make me want to throw something at both of them.

  They are silent for a moment and I mull over Aidan’s words. Is that really what they think? Do I come across as some untouchable, inhuman person, with nothing to offer? Do my abilities make me seem hard, incapable of normal emotions? I now understand why Sofia has such appeal. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s soft and vulnerable, she plays on men’s natural protective instincts. I feel a twinge of regret that Aidan has no memory of our early years together, when he was protecting me and not the other way around. I am shocked as his next words ring out.

  “She gets under my skin.”

  “Sofia?” Archer asks and Aidan shakes his head.

  “No, Rebecca. I mean, there’s something there, something I just can’t put my finger on.” He hesitates before continuing, “I don’t like the Southerner. He’s an arrogant bastard.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s the only reason he annoys you,” Archer laughs.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, come on! If there’s anyone out there who can make Rebecca feel soft and feminine, it would be Reed.” Aidan doesn’t reply and I risk another peek over the fence. His face is a mask of irritation. Archer seems to realise that his comment may not have been appropriate. “You have a history, I’m sure that’s got to play havoc with your head,” Archer justifies. “It must suck to be you, dude.”

  “You have no idea,” Aidan answers, and before I can change my mind, I leave to join the others.

  The day we depart for San Francisco, the air is alive with excitement. Brooke insists on travelling in the bus with Oliver, and so we load all of the Deranged into the massive vehicle. Adam and Hope join Loader, who is driving, to make sure that everyone behaves. Surprisingly, Hope is amazing with the youngsters and spends hours every day entertaining them, teaching them. I notice too that she is always aware of their whereabouts. I wonder if her concern for them stems from her own abandonment, if perhaps that’s why she wants to ensure that they are safe and taken care of. Aidan takes the truck and Sofia and Henry climb in with him. I incline my head at Jethro, who sighs as he walks away from the Humvee. I cannot let those three travel without protection.Reed grins and takes the Humvee keys and a moment later Archer jumps in with him.

  “We’ll escort the bus,” I tell him through the open window. “I’ll ride ahead of it, you two follow behind.” Reed nods and guns the engine, unashamedly delighted to be back in the military vehicle.

  “You gonna be okay on your own?” he asks.

  “Some peace and quiet? Hell, yes,” I grin, turning and making my way back to my trusty Discovery.

  The 92-mile journey to San Francisco is slow but steady going. I follow the truck, keeping a keen eye on the bus behind me. A few times we have to detour, the bigger vehicle unable to make it through the rough terrain, but by lunchtime we rumble into San José. The truck comes to a creaking halt and I stop behind it. I make my way back to the bus, climbing in and smiling at the motley crew.

  “I think we should press on, we can make it to San Francisco by nightfall,” I tell Adam, who looks about to argue. “We can search this city on the way back,” I continue, “but let’s start with San Francisco.” He nods, understanding my reasoning. I want to get as far north as we intend to go and then work our way back so that if we run out of space, unlikely as that may be now that we have the bus, we can head straight home.

  I am about to turn and climb down the rusted steps when a shout of alarm from the rear of the bus gets my attention. I race to the back of the big vehicle and peer through the filthy glass. Archer is waving his hands over his head. Reed has his back to me, his shoulders tensed, his gaze fixed on something beyond him. I look down the street we have just travelled, and I realise what it is they are trying to tell me. I fly back down the bus.

  “Start the engine!” I yell at Loader who does as I say. “Now, get out of here as fast as this piece of shit can go!” I race down the steps, cross the street and leap up onto the side rail of the truck. Aidan and Henry are chatting amiably and Jethro is sitting quietly just behind them.

  “Jethro, we’ve got a problem,” I pant, and the
y all turn to stare at me, eyes wide with panic. “Aidan, head north. Don’t stop until we catch you up. Go, now!” I roar, as he opens his mouth to question. “Foot flat,” I add, jumping back down to the street. Jethro is already beside me, awaiting instructions. I hit the side of the truck hard enough to leave a dent and Aidan needs no further prompting. The truck pulls off in a cloud of smoke, the bus weaving around the Discovery to follow it.

  Chapter 30

  Jethro and I speed back to Reed and Archer. The mob of angry, armed savages has already covered over half the distance between them.

  “You think we can reason with this lot?” Reed asks sardonically.

  “Probably not,” I roll my eyes, “although you’re welcome to try.” I gesture him forward, smiling sweetly. He winks and then we turn to face the horde.

  There are probably about a hundred of them. Angry, depraved, grotesque faces, swarming down the street like locusts. They all have weapons of some sort; primitive, but deadly. Rados. A whole lot of Rados.

  “I’m not going to enjoy this,” Jethro says, sounding sick.

  “Me neither,” I agree. Killing these tragic victims of the war is hardly something I would ever want to do, but I will protect my new family. The truck and the bus are far too slow to outrun this mob, all we need is one detour and they will catch us up. At the very least, we need to buy them some time to get far enough away so that there is no possibility of that happening.

  “Archer, take the Land Rover and get out of here.” I suddenly realise that he is still there.

  “No way,” he replies levelly, drawing his bow and pulling an arrow from his sheath. Taking careful aim, he lets go and, with a hiss, it flies straight and true, hitting one of the oncoming horde right in the chest. The man falls to the ground but before I can say a word, another Rado has fallen right beside the first.

  “Take cover,” I yell at Archer, “keep shooting, but stay out of their way. You’re no use to me dead!” He lets off one last shot and then shoulders his bow and climbs over the hood of an abandoned car nearby. He leaps from the roof onto the low awning of a bakery and then sprints up it, jumping and catching hold of the edge of the building with his hands. Showing amazing agility, he pulls himself up and then he disappears.

  “He’s like a freaking cat,” Reed drawls as he watches. Bracing ourselves, we wait until the advancing horde is only a few yards away and then we scatter, streaking in different directions. The crowd screeches to a halt, confused and unable to keep track of our movements. A few at the back collide with the front runners who have stopped, and one man trips and falls flat on his face. Getting up with an angry roar he turns and lashes out at the man behind him with a blunt axe. The blade cracks his skull clean in two and I shudder in revulsion. I make my way a short distance down the street and then I whistle softly, getting their attention.

  With a collective howl of rage, they stampede down the street towards me. I stand still, waiting. I see Reed and Jethro fly at them from either side, each pulling two men out of the throng. Our attackers possess no exceptional qualities, they are fuelled by pure insanity and many are malnourished. The Rados are cannibalistic; they feed off each other and have no value for human life. Again and again, Reed and Jethro dive into the fray, picking out men and dispatching them. As I watch, an arrow strikes one of the men closest to me, piercing his eye and projecting out through the back of his skull. I turn and see Archer crouched on top of one of the buildings to my right, already taking aim again.

  I race forward, surging through the crowd. I knock over as many men as I kill, the force of my momentum knocking them down like bowling skittles. By the time I emerge on the other side, there is a clear pathway through the horde, a multitude of bodies prostrate on the ground. The mob, now divided in two, gaze down in confusion at those who are dead or have fallen, unable to comprehend the damage. About a third of their number is already defeated, and Reed and Jethro show no sign of slowing down. I am about to turn to get Reed’s attention when I am grabbed from behind. I feel a blazing pain in the curve of my neck just above my right shoulder as my attacker sinks his teeth into my flesh, and I cry out involuntarily at the pain. Not again.

  Before I can retaliate, I am jolted forward with incredible force and I slump to my knees, not able to withstand it. I turn back to see Reed standing over my assailant’s broken body, murder in his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” His chest is heaving.

  “I’m fine,” I mumble. There is no time to assess the damage; Jethro is fighting alone against a small army. Favouring my right arm, which is agony every time I raise it, I lay into the next Rado who jumps out at me. In my peripheral vision I see another creeping up beside me, a heavy hammer in his hand, but as he raises it an arrow bursts through his chest, a dark red stain blossoming around it. I incline my head briefly at Archer, who is shouldering his bow and making his way along the rooftops towards the Humvee. The sheath bouncing against his back is empty.

  “Let’s go!” I yell, streaking around the melee, in the direction of the Discovery. Reed and Jethro don’t need to be told twice and a moment later we reach the cars. “I can’t drive!” I yelp, clutching my neck.

  “Jethro!” Reed tosses the Humvee keys across to him. Jethro, delighted to be back in the monstrous vehicle, leaps into the driver’s seat and Archer jumps in beside him. I make my way to the passenger side of the Discovery and I have barely closed the door when Reed guns the accelerator. We slide across the street, the tyres squealing in protest. The Humvee shadows us, roaring away from the pursuing crowd.

  “Why didn’t we finish them off?” Reed asks, yanking at the steering wheel to avoid slamming into an old dumpster.

  “We did enough damage,” I gasp, not wanting to admit that I couldn’t fight off a flea in my present state. “Besides, the others have long gone, there’s no way they’ll catch them now.”

  “We still have to come back this way,” he points out.

  “We’ll drive straight through them if we have to,” I force a grin.

  Pulling off my hoodie, wincing at even the slightest movement, I bundle it up into a ball and press it down on the gaping wound. My shirt is soaked with blood. I can feel it trickling down my side and across my stomach. Reed presses his foot down even harder on the accelerator, increasing the distance between us and the Humvee following behind.

  “Don’t lose them,” I caution, but he ignores me.

  “We need to get you to the Doc.”

  The others have made it well out of the city by the time we catch up to them, and Reed blares on the Discovery’s horn, signalling to the bus to pull over. I close my eyes, trying not to think about the pain when Reed snatches open my door and picks me up gently, mindful not to jar my injured side. He lowers me to the ground and Henry removes the sodden hoodie, exposing the gaping hole. I feel dizzy and the faces above me swim in my vision.

  “Rebecca!” I hear Aidan’s concerned voice. Nice to know he cares. “I told you we should have gone back!” he roars at Adam, who is standing just behind him, watching me carefully.

  “I’ll heal,” I murmur, embarrassed by all the fuss. Strangely, it is Aidan who is crouched by my side and I smile reassuringly up at him. His face is pale and he recoils as he catches sight of the wound. Taking my hand in both of his warm ones, he squeezes it tightly.

  “You’re going to be fine,” he says, his warm brown eyes not leaving my face. I wish I could keep my eyes open, that I could stay in this moment where Aidan is looking at me the way he used to. But not even my longing can keep me conscious and my eyes flutter once, twice, and then I remember nothing else.

  I wake feeling stiff and sore. I reach up and feel the bandages covering my neck and shoulder. It is dark and eerily quiet, and from my surroundings I gather I am in the bed of the truck. I focus on my body but, other than the residual pain, there is nothing. The bandages are dry, I am no longer bleeding and I can still feel
the faint tingle of the healing process at work.

  “How are you feeling?” The husky drawl from right beside me startles me.

  “Seriously, you have got to stop doing that.” I smile in the dark.

  “You okay?” Reed presses.

  “Fine.” I can’t believe that this is the second time I’ve been bitten by these savages.

  “Good.” There is so much meaning in that small insignificant word. I am tired, sore and confused, but for some reason all I can think about in this moment is him.

  “Your boyfriend took it pretty badly,” Reed begins, but I don’t let him finish. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear about Aidan’s momentary concern. I’m tired of the mind games. I just want to forget about everything. I lean forward suddenly, taking him by complete surprise, and press my lips against his. He tries to pull back, but I weave my hands through his hair and pull him forward, nipping his lip with my teeth. He opens his mouth to protest, but I seize the opportunity and I slip my tongue into his open mouth. He hesitates for only a moment, and then his big hands grip my hips, lifting me up and onto his lap. Passion flares in the pit of my stomach and starts to burn its way through my entire body, right down to my fingertips. I am ripping at his clothing and I cannot seem to get close enough. I want to climb inside his skin, and I rake my nails down his back so hard that I’m surprised I don’t draw blood. Reed reacts with the same primal need and he throws me back onto the hard bed of the truck, gazing down at me with heavy-lidded eyes before lowering his body onto mine.

  In the morning I wake up alone. I unravel the bandages impatiently, revealing the smooth skin underneath. No scars mark the place where I was bitten, and I wonder if the scars inside heal as easily. I get dressed and head outside, stopping in surprise as I look down at the scene below me. We have reached the City by the Bay.