The Resistance: Book 5 of the After The Event Series

by T A Williams

  “So,” she began and he looked up at her. “You keep looking even though you think she has moved on somewhere else?”

  “I don’t want to think that I’ll never see her again. Chances are I won’t, but there is still a chance I might.”

  Ally felt tears forming in her eyes. She thought of Joseph and the last time she had seen him. She thought of her dad and Ben and Alec. If she thought they were still out there she knew there wouldn’t be anything in the world that would stop her from searching for them. “I’ll keep looking with you. No matter how long it takes.”

  Adam smiled at her. “Are you sure you want to spend your life with us searching for someone we may never find?”

  “You already said it. You do what you have to do for your family.”

  Tiger let out a low growl and Ally hopped to her feet and readied her bow. The dog looked out at the opening in the wall and she followed his gaze. Several blocks away were five men, all armed, walking down the street away from them. They were too far away for her to be able to make out whether they were good or bad soldiers or simply civilians, but she could make out the rifles they carried.

  “How many? Five?” Adam asked as he peeked through the opening.

  Ally nodded her head and said yes.

  “I say we lock this door and hunker down here for the night,” Adam offered.

  “I’ll watch them and see where they go.” Ally watched as the men got smaller and smaller until they disappeared behind one of the buildings.

  “Are we safe?” Adam whispered as he crouched down next to her.

  Ally looked back out toward the destroyed city and said nothing. As long as they were out here he already knew the answer.

  Alec

  The people they dragged out of the transport trucks looked like they had been through hell, but Alec knew their suffering had just begun. The seven men stood before Xu getting the same lecture that Alec had gotten when he first arrived. They stood in a line squinting against the bright sun and looking at Alec and the others as if they were horrific specters haunting them. One of the soldiers lifted up the flap on the second transport truck and Alec saw over a dozen people tied up in the back. The soldier glanced around, closed the flap and then hit the side and the transport drove toward the mine. Xu walked away as his lecture ended and four of the seven men headed toward Yankee camp while the others went over to Rambo and then their day began.

  With winter behind them the need for firewood had lessened so the soldiers had them out in the open field digging large holes, what for, Alec was not sure and he knew better then to ask. So instead he simply dug the holes as he was told. One of the new members went through the motions. His shovel would hit the ground weakly, barely disturbing the dirt, and then he would lift it again and do the same, all the while crying and sniffling to himself. The soldiers hadn’t noticed yet, but they would.

  Alec moved over to his direction. “Pick it up.” The man looked up and Alec realized he was much younger than he had first thought. Still more of a man than a boy, but if he wasn’t the same age as Alec he was close. Tears filled his eyes as he looked up Alec. “If they notice you not working they will beat you and you won’t eat.”

  The young man nodded as he wiped the tears from his eyes and then began to use his shovel properly. Alec worked beside him and for a time it was quiet.

  “How long have you been here?”

  Alec didn’t look up. “Does it matter?”

  The young man didn’t say anything for a beat. “I’m Jon.”

  Alec threw a shovel full of dirt to the side and wiped sweat from his brow. “Alec.”

  “I don’t want to die,” Jon said as a sob wracked his body.

  Alec looked at him and his gaze held no sympathy. “If you want to live then work. If you don’t want to die then stay strong.” Jon’s back stiffened and his face hardened. Alec took a deep breath. Jon wouldn’t survive more than a week feeling sorry for himself and Alec was having a hard enough time surviving. “Look,” he started, his voice softening, “watch what we do, follow our lead. It’s not going to be easy but if you sit around feeling sorry for yourself then you won’t last long.”

  “Thank you.”

  As they worked the sky darkened, the wind cooled and soon the heavens opened up, dumping rain all over them. Alec stopped what he was doing and held his head up toward the sky. The cool rain ran over his dirty skin and it felt like he was being reborn. He looked around and the rest of Yankee Camp was stopped with their faces toward the sky and the soldiers didn’t say anything. They stood and watched them with a blank expression on their faces. Alec wasn’t sure if it was pity or kindness that stayed their hand but he didn’t question it. He dropped his shovel and ran his hands over his face, rubbing off months of dirt and grime in just a few swipes. They were only allowed to enjoy the rain for a few minutes and the rain continued for nearly an hour afterwards, but those brief few moments made Alec feel like a new man.

  At the end of the day they made their way back toward the camp and Alec noticed that despite their rough conversation Jon hadn’t left his side. As they approached the building where the food was handed out they noticed a single soldier standing outside--Xu. Everyone’s steps shortened and a dark gloom settled over all of them. The man stood next to the building and on his other side were two flatbed trailers filled with wood that had not yet been placed in the storage.

  Jon noticed and whispered to Alec. “That’s the guy who said something when we first got here. Is he in charge?”

  Alec kept his focus forward. “Yeah, he’s the one in charge.”

  Yankee camp gathered on one side of Xu while Rambo gathered on the other side. Neither said anything. Xu watched them gather around and swept his cold gaze over all of them slowly.

  “You all work very hard today. You deserve to be rewarded.”

  Alec saw Jon stand up straighter and he didn’t have the heart to tell him that nothing good was going to come out of Xu’s mouth.

  The man must have noticed the hopeful look on some of the newer prisoners’ faces because a smirk formed on the side of his mouth. “Yes, a big reward.” Xu nodded toward the two trailers of wood next to him. “First team to empty trailers into the storage buildings will get two bowls of food and special roll of bread.”

  The other soldiers rolled out two wheelbarrows and sat one next to each trailer. The building where they were supposed to store the wood was only twenty yards away but the ground leading to it had been turned into a muddy mess thanks to the rain that had just fallen.

  Xu walked over to the nearest table and sat down in a chair, already beginning to look bored. “You have five minutes before start.”

  Rambo camp immediately gathered over near their trailer and began to talk, while Yankee stood about looking at each other. Finally Simon took a step forward. The rain had washed away most of the grime leaving only the wildly growing hair on his face and his sunken cheek bones.

  “We can take turns throwing the wood into the wheelbarrow and pushing it into storage,” he said listlessly.

  No one else said anything. No agreement, no disagreement, no alternative. Jon looked to Alec, clearly expecting more. Alec’s stomach growled and he could feel the extra bowl of food sliding down his throat into his stomach, and he could nearly taste the warm bread.

  “No,” he said and everyone’s eyes were on him. “They outnumber us and they are stronger than us.”

  “If we don’t participate then Xu will have us beaten or killed,” Simon said.

  “I’m not talking about participating, I’m talking about winning,” Alec said through clenched teeth. “There are a little over a dozen of us. We will create a line leading from the trailer to storage, a man every few yards. Two men will be on the trailer and will toss wood to the first man in line and that man will toss it to the next until the last throws it into the building.”

  Jon smiled. “That’ll work.”

  Simon looked to Alec and something different shone in
his eyes. “There are still more of them than us. We will still lose.”

  “We may but we’ll make them earn it,” Alec said.

  Simon smiled and it was the first time Alec had actually seen the man show any kind of emotion. Simon shook his head and everyone got into position. A few of the members of Rambo camp watched them, confused, while a few others simply laughed. Alec saw Walt standing near his camp’s wheelbarrow and the man looked over what they were doing and tipped an imaginary hat in Alec’s direction.

  “Begin,” Xu yelled from his seat of comfort.

  Alec was the first man in line and the first piece of wood tossed from the trailer hit his arms hard and he felt the bark cut into his skin, but he turned and tossed it to the next man and prepared for the next. Piece after piece came and with each toss the pressure on the small of his back increased and the bark continued to cut into his skin. Soon his back felt like it was on fire and he could feel the warmth from his blood running down his arms, but he continued.

  Catch, turn, toss. Catch, turn, toss. His breath came out in rugged gasps, his sides burned but he continued.

  “Switch,” Jon, who was one of the men on the trailer, yelled down at him. Before Alec could say anything Jon had jumped down and was pushing Alec back onto the trailer.

  Alec didn’t argue and climbed onto the trailer, which was nearly empty. He looked over to Rambo camp and saw their trailer was still over half full. Walt and another man were struggling to push their wheelbarrow through the deep mud toward the storage building and they were failing. Alec got his second wind and went back to work. He fought through the pain until the last piece of wood left his hands and was sent down the line.

  One of the soldiers yelled out when the last piece of wood was thrown into the building. Alec turned to Rambo’s trailer and realized they had done it. They had won. Jon yelled and pumped his fist, while several of the other members in Yankee smiled and fell to the ground in exhaustion.

  Xu walked over toward them and the look of surprise on his face was evident. “Yankee wins. Rambo doesn’t eat until they empty trailer and organize wood.” Then he turned and walked away.

  The feeling of happiness slowly fled Alec’s body as he watched the members of the other camp, covered in dirt and obviously exhausted, go back to unloading the trailer. Walt stopped what he was doing and walked over to him.

  “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” Alec asked.

  “Xu did this, not you.” Walt wiped dirt from his forehead. “Now go enjoy your food before that creature changes his mind.”

  Alec stood there, not knowing what to say. He knew what it felt like to be on the other side and he didn’t wish that on anyone, especially Walt, who seemed to be his only real friend still alive in the camp. “Thanks.” Though he wasn’t sure what for.

  “Don’t mention it, brother.”

  When Alec turned Jon and Simon were standing there next to him. Jon’s face was covered in a goofy smile and while he wasn’t smiling, Simon’s face was lit up.

  “Come on,” Jon said, slapping him on the shoulder, “I’m starving.”

  Ally

  She squeezed through the small hole in the side of the building and within a few minutes knew the entire trip had been worth it. As her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room the first thing she spotted on the shelf directly in front of her was a large bottle of lighter fluid. She ran over and picked it up, confirming it was almost completely full. Ally couldn’t help but smile. This alone would fetch quite the price when they went to the market. Tiger sneezed behind her, causing her to jump.

  “Tiger! You scared the crap out of me,” she yelled.

  She could have sworn that it looked like the dog smiled.

  Ally knew she shouldn’t be wandering the wasteland by herself but she couldn’t just sit around the safe zone all day. They had taken a break from scouring the wasteland for people, mainly because they had yet to turn up a single lead, which meant the majority of their days were filled with walking around the market or fixing up their home-all things that she enjoyed in small doses, not so much when it was the only thing she could do. So Ally had begun telling Adam and Dena that she was going out to hunt or walk around the market and instead she came out here. In just a few trips she had managed to find quite a few useful items and when they asked she just told them she found them on her walks to and fro.

  As she placed the lighter fluid in her bag something else caught her eye, something she hadn’t seen in years. Soap. A six-pack of solid soap bars sat in a package just a few feet from her. It felt like she had just found gold.

  “Tiger, do you know what this is?” Tiger just stared at her. “This means we don’t have to walk around smelling like old feet anymore. Or stinky dog.” Tiger whined. “Ok, smelling like a stinky dog isn’t so bad.”

  The top half of the building had collapsed, all but hiding--and sealing--the basement area. Looking around, Ally could tell she was one of the first people in a long time to enter. Inside she found several shampoo bottles, toothpaste, mouthwash and even toilet paper. It was hands-down the greatest scavenging trip she had ever taken. She managed to fill up her pack and still have items sitting on the shelves for next time. Smiling, she turned to leave when she saw something framed on the wall. She walked closer and saw it was a crayon drawing of two stick figures holding the hand of a smaller stick figure, with a house in the background. Ally didn’t know why but she couldn’t stop staring at it. It was like the pictures they had found at the abandoned building. It was a snapshot of a time when the world wasn’t so mean. Tiger whined behind her, snapping her back to reality.

  “Tiger, do you think things are going to get better?”

  Tiger followed her gaze toward the picture but the dog just tilted his head in confusion.

  “You were just a puppy when I found you so you never knew how things were before. Things didn’t used to suck so bad.” Ally bent down and grabbed the dog’s head in her hands. “I mean things were still tough sometimes but never this bad.” Tiger licked her face and Ally just laughed. “You bring up a good point.”

  She got up, dusted herself off and then squeezed through the opening in the building. They walked down the destroyed streets with the only sound being the crunch of rubble under their feet. Ally tried to imagine what everything looked like before it had been destroyed when Tiger growled. She stopped but the crunching sound of feet over rubble didn’t. Ally hid behind what used to be an opening of a storefront but was now nothing more than a single cracked wall. The sound of the crunching got louder until three soldiers turned the corner, good soldiers. They walked with their rifles slung over their shoulders and talked causally like they were just out for a stroll. They were good soldiers but Ally had already been told that anyone found wandering the wasteland would be kicked out of the safe zone and never allowed to return, so she stayed hidden. The soldiers walked past and out of view, but she waited until she couldn’t even hear their footsteps before she started to move.

  She made her way out of the ruins into the safe zone with no further issues. She intended to head back home but as she passed through the marketplace she spotted Dena and Coby walking about causally. Coby saw her first and waved, Tiger ran to him instantly.

  “Hey Ally, I was wondering if we would run into you out here,” Dena said, giving her a smile. The woman’s attention turned to her pack. “What did you bring your pack for? It looks full.”

  “Ah, in case I found anything else,” Ally said quickly.

  Dena frowned for a second. “Ok…just don’t go wandering off too far. You know they say even the outskirts of this place aren’t always safe. So find anything good?”

  Ally smiled. “A few things. I’ll show you later.”

  “Mom, are you going to show her what you go-” Coby started.

  “Shush Coby,” Dena interrupted. “If you’re done there is something we wanted to show you and Coby when you have a second.”

  Ally and Coby shared a confused lo
ok.

  “Ok,” Ally said.

  The entire walk back to the house consisted of Coby asking what Dena was going to show them and Dena answering that he would just have to wait. Coby never took this as a satisfactory answer. By the time they made it back home Ally had a headache and was ready to go on another trip.

  The sun was beginning to set so when they walked inside it took her a second to adjust but as she rounded the corner into the kitchen she saw it. On the counter sat a cake, a relic of an ancient time and of a different life. A single lit candle sat atop the cake and behind it stood Adam with a huge smile on his face.

  “Mommy, what’s that for?” Coby asked beside her.

  Dena walked over to Adam’s side and looked at Coby and Ally. “Things have been…really tough lately but you all have battled through it with us.” Dena looked to Ally. “It’s easy to say we probably wouldn’t have made it here if it wasn’t for you. So since we have missed some birthdays, I thought it would be nice to make up for that.”

  Ally had been going to the market long enough to know that the ingredients to make anything, let alone a cake, were hard to find and expensive to get. “How did you-”

  “I have been getting a lot of work from the peacekeepers and our neighbors,” Dena said

  “And you aren’t the only one who knows how to scavenge,” Adam said with a smirk.

  It was out before Ally could stop it. The tear ran from her eye to her cheek, where she quickly wiped it away, but it wasn’t quick enough. Dena looked down, trying to fight her own emotions, and Adam gave her a wink.

  “You both deserve a little happiness,” he said.

  Dena walked out from behind the counter and handed Coby a plastic bag. The boy reached inside and pulled out a Superman action figure. His face lit up and he jumped into Dena’s arms. They stood there for a second hugging until Dena gently pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked over to Ally and smiled.