In the Aftermath: Burning of the Dawn

by Coleman Thompson

  “We’re dying anyway,” Hernando laughed. “You two should go on ahead; come back for me later if you find anything… I’ll be right here next to this rock.” Hernando tossed a fist-sized stone out into the street.

  “No, I think I’ll stay, too.” Ian answered back. “It’s a nice view here.” Nothing but tall trees stood on both sides of the highway; little else could be seen. “You go ahead, Ray. We’ll wait for you here – by the rock.”

  Raymond walked over and sat down with his comrades. “You two are assholes,” he said it as a compliment, for the most part. “You want me to leave you the gun, too?”

  “Sure,” Ian answered. “Give me the gun and you can have the backpack. To hell with Tahoe, just drag the thing all the way to Colorado. We’ll listen for you on the radio.”

  “What radio?” Hernando asked.

  “Oh, yeah…” Ian answered. They had no radio; it was destroyed, along with their vehicle. All of them were well aware of this.

  “You two are definitely assholes.” Raymond repeated as he dropped the empty assault rifle to the ground beside him.

  “Yes we are,” Ian answered. “We probably shouldn’t die here. If we do, Dinah will kill us.”

  “That don’t make any sense, man.” Hernando spoke as he looked into the sky; he was tired of staring at trees. His leg hurt him ruthlessly and he was sure that he wasn’t going to make it much further. It was bad enough that Ian or Raymond had to partially carry him as he was now. Soon he wouldn’t be able to walk at all.

  “She’ll go into Hell to find us,” Raymond spoke. “Then she will kill us again.”

  “Aren’t we already in Hell?” Ian questioned. “It’s a lot colder than I expected.”

  “No, this isn’t Hell,” Hernando answered. “This is just… too many damn trees.”

  “Well, I for one say there’s a strong case for Hell to be made for this place,” Ian proclaimed as he tapped the ground beside him. “This planet – full of demons, degenerates, assholes, and aliens!”

  “Amen to that,” Raymond put an arm around Hernando. “Let us embrace our Hell with dignity, my friend.” Raymond’s smile was not comforting, but it still got a painful chuckle out of Hernando.

  “This ain’t Hell, fellas,” Mary spoke from behind them. “But I’ll be more than happy to send y’all there!”

  Raymond saw Mary’s rifle pointed at him and immediately thought better of standing. Hernando was in too much pain to stand; simply turning around to see Mary caused him to wince with agony. Ian went to get to his feet, but Mary would have none of that.

  “Nuh-uh,” Mary aimed her gun in Ian’s direction. “Or are you volunteering to be the first to go?”

  “No Miss,” Ian spoke, putting his hands up instead. “Not volunteering for anything. We haven’t come to harm anyone.”

  “Well maybe I have,” mocked Mary. The three men spotted Anthony behind her. He, too, had a gun aimed down on them.

  “I’m going to kick the gun away from me,” Raymond spoke as he placed his foot near the AK-12 rifle. “It isn’t loaded anyway. We mean you no harm, sister.”

  Mary walked around the three men and stood in the highway; she kicked the AK-12 away herself on the way over. Raymond, Ian, and Hernando all took notice of the large, bloodied hatchet hanging from Mary’s trousers.

  “Fuckin’ animal,” Hernando spoke, looking directly at Mary. “I hope the Sayona kill you and all your kind.”

  “They will,” Mary answered calmly. “Right after my kind kills your kind.”

  “Come on now,” Ian spoke up. “You’re going to shoot us for what? This isn’t right. We haven’t done anything to wrong you.”

  “But you might.” Mary answered unsympathetically. “Plus, you’re not really lookin’ too good right now, none of you, so consider it a favor on my part.”

  “Fuck you, bitch!” Hernando made a move to move, but his pain quickly ended that brief moment of valor.

  “Nobody has to die,” Raymond spoke to Hernando. “She’s not one of them… she’s not a savage.”

  Mary began to laugh. “Oh really? I’m not a savage? I should take that as an insult, mister. If you’re tryin’ some kind of psychology shit on me, save it. You really don’t wanna be in my head… I don’t even like bein’ in my head.”

  “I mean that you’re not like those who tried to kill us.” Raymond’s eyes went back to Mary’s hatchet. He hoped he was right about the girl.

  “You’re right,” Mary answered. “I either do or do not… there is no try.” She raised her rifle and took aim at Raymond. “Anthony, go back into the woods, please.”

  At first, Mary feared that these men might be a part of the more brutal California equivalent of the men who tried to kill her in Nevada. That fear did not last long. These men were unorganized and had little knowledge of surviving in this terrain. Nevertheless, they could still be dangerous. They needed supplies badly and would kill for them if they had to… or so Mary assumed. Letting them live was an unnecessary risk.

  Anthony was aware of what Mary was planning to do; he wasn’t sure he disagreed with her. Who was safe and who was not? There was no way to tell anymore, not until it was too late. As Anthony turned to leave he spotted something odd. The large backpack sitting near the Chinese man had partially come open. It had an antenna sticking out of it, along with other assorted radio and transmitter gear.

  “You’re going to kill us then?” Raymond asked. “Very well, kill me, but let the others go. They are harmless, as you can see.”

  “Fuck that,” Hernando spite at Mary’s feet. “You murder him, you better murder me, too… or I’ll spend what’s left of my life hunting you down, pinche puta!”

  “Murder is my name; murder is my game,” Mary replied. “Girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do…”

  “What a minute,” Anthony spoke. “Where did they come from?”

  “It’s cruel to drag this out, little brother.” Mary chastised.

  “The radio signal…” Anthony replied. Ian turned to him before Anthony could say more.

  “You heard our broadcast?!” Ian spoke as he rose to his knees; he dared not rise any further. “Please, we’re here to help. We just wanna do our job, save as many as we can, and get back home.”

  “Home?” Mary questioned. “Los Angeles? You’re a little far from L.A., and if you’re lookin’ to get back there you’re goin’ in the wrong direction, shithead.”

  “Our mission is not yet complete,” Raymond answered. “We’re suppose to go east to another tower and set up another transmission to try and reach more survivors. But we were attacked and lost our vehicle, most of our supplies, and all of our weapons. Even if we ignored our remaining objective, we still couldn’t survive the journey home. Our attackers feared the mountains, so that is why we are here.”

  “Good story, bro.” Mary didn’t know if Raymond was lying or not, she didn’t particularly care either. She didn’t like the idea of shooting down a decent man in cold blood, but she really disliked the idea of him not being a decent man and breaking her neck the moment she turned her back on him.

  “It is the truth.” Raymond replied.

  “Why do you want more people?” Anthony asked. “If you have thousands already in Los Angeles, why are you looking for more?”

  “To help them,” Hernando responded. “Why else?”

  “You believe it’s a trap?” Raymond could see the logic in that. “It is difficult for you to trust strangers, I understand your concerns. For what it’s worth, you have my word – Los Angeles is safe. We are self-sufficient and have the means to support at least a hundred-thousand people if we can find them. Our current numbers are far below that.”

  The man spoke persuasively and his eyes seemed to hide no lies. Anthony was torn: he did not want to disappoint Mary, but he didn’t wish to see these men die either. One thing Anthony was sure of was that these men had knowledge of things that even Mary did not yet know. Guns and knives were good to have, but kno
wledge still had power as well. Also, who were these attackers that feared the mountains? Does Mary know about them? Anthony wondered.

  “Mom should hear this,” Anthony spoke to Mary. “Don’t you think?”

  Mary lowered her rifle and scowled in Anthony’s direction. “Your heart is too kind, darlin’,” Mary proclaimed unkindly. “If these men kill us, I’m gonna be pissed.”

  “That doesn’t make any…” Hernando began to comment.

  “Nobody will be killed,” Raymond interrupted. “I assure you.”

  “You’re assurances don’t mean shit, big guy,” Mary motioned with her rifle for Raymond to rise to his feet; which he did. “If you want your life you’re gonna earn it. Let’s go for a walk.”

  Mary picked up the AK-12, left the weapon with Anthony, and then herded Raymond into the woods. Ian and Hernando were instructed not to move from their sitting positions. If they did Anthony would shoot them, and upon hearing any gunshots Mary would then shoot Raymond as well.

  “Thanks, man.” Ian spoke to Anthony as soon as Mary was out of sight.

  “You’re welcome.” Anthony answered.

  “Your friend’s got some trust issues,” Hernando looked to Anthony in faded fury. “She’s a little crazy if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t ask you,” Anthony replied. This man’s ingratitude angered him. “I saved you. My friend’s name is Mary. She saved my life and she saved my mother’s life. She’s killed more than a dozen men – scarier men than you. If you disrespect her again she won’t have to kill you, because I will.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hernando spoke delicately as he looked away. He did not mean to upset the boy. “I’ve got bits of bullet in my knee and it makes me moody sometimes, and I got a bad habit of saying stupid shit anyway.”

  “Yeah, I can corroborate that.” Ian concurred.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect,” Hernando added. “To you or your friend.”

  “Apology accepted.” Anthony had never threatened anyone’s life before; it left a bad taste in his mouth. He wanted to apologize himself, but he didn’t. His ruse worked; neither man said anything negative about Mary to him after that.

  Serena spent most of that day lying on the dock of Echo Lake with her handgun in her lap. Despite the chill, she still loved this day. The clear sky and bright sun along with the scent of the wet woods and the sounds of the singing birds and whistling winds made this day the epitome of beauty. She expected to be roused from her moment of serenity at any time by the sound of distant gunshots as Mary schooled Anthony in the art of war and weaponry. Anthony enjoyed it, so Serena had no misgivings – not anymore. So far there had been no gunshots on this day. Eventually, she did hear Mary’s high voice carried from the distance on the wind. She heard another voice as well, a lower voice. It was difficult to discern, but it had to be her son’s. Serena stretched her body, smiled at the beauty of the lake, and then rose to go meet Mary and Anthony. They’re back a lot earlier than usual, she thought. I wonder what they’ve caught and killed today.

  Anthony was standing in the middle of the Echo Summit parking lot that led down to the boat piers. Serena found him easily enough; though she was a little confused. He had the revolver in his hand and Isabeau on his back. Mary was suppose to have the revolver and Anthony was suppose to have the rifle. Why had they swapped? Where was Mary? Anthony was looking south; Serena assumed Mary was in that direction. Anthony saw his mother approaching and gave her a faint smile. As Serena closed the distance between her and her son, another person came into view. It was not Mary. It was a large, ruffled, black man carrying a headless, mutilated deer over his shoulder.

  “Hello, ma’am.” Raymond spoke as Serena hurried over to her son with her handgun ready for potential violence.

  Serena spotted two more men: a Hispanic man with a severely injured leg who was being assisted by an Asian man with a large backpack strapped to his shoulders. She then spotted Mary at the rear of the pack: .41 Marlin rifle in one hand, AK-12 assault rifle in the other.

  “Don’t be blamin’ me now, Mama Bear,” Mary called out. “I wanted to kill ‘em all.”

  “You’re his mother then?” Raymond spoke with a pleasant smile as he motioned towards Anthony with his free arm. “I am very pleased to meet you, Miss.”

  Serena looked from the speaking man, then to her son, then to the other two men, then to Mary, and finally to all of them. She then spoke, “What the fuck?!”

  This situation was very strange. Serena, Mary, and Anthony conversed privately as the three men stood quietly in the parking lot. The conversation was mostly two ways, between mother and son, as Mary let them decide what should be done with the three men. Serena sought Mary’s opinion on how dangerous she believed the men were. In Mary’s estimation, Hernando and Ian were harmless so long as they were unarmed. They were not fighters and they were too weak to pose any real threat. Raymond, however, was large and strong and even if weakened he could still be dangerous to Serena or Anthony; though Mary had total confidence that she could handle him in his current state if need be. Anthony wanted to hear what the men had to say and then gauge whether or not they were dangerous after they had been given their own chance to speak. Serena agreed. She talked to the three men herself. They were kind and they were courteous and from what she could tell they spoke the truth. Mary did not disagree with Serena’s assessments of the three men, but she was still more than willing to execute them if it were deemed necessary.

  Finally a decision was rendered. Hernando and Ian would be bound and taken with Serena and Anthony by car back to their place in Emerald Bay. Hernando needed medical treatment rather urgently and Serena could give him that, just not here. Her supplies were at the house. Mary and Raymond would follow on foot. Emerald Bay was nearly nine miles (straight-shot, using no roads) from Echo Lake. The terrain was rough, but Mary was confident that she could make it before nightfall; Raymond was confident that he could keep up. The plan was then set into motion. Serena bound Ian and Hernando’s hands with Ethernet cable and both men were then loaded into her car. Anthony took the passenger’s seat with the revolver still in his hands. Serena, too, kept her gun in her hand, even while driving. Mary and Raymond stayed behind to harvest the deer meat. It was early still, so Mary felt safe enough to start a fire near the lake to cook the deer and then destroy all evidence of them ever being there. Any hints of the fire would be long gone by nightfall, especially with the howling winds.

  It took an hour to cook all of the meat over the open fires. Mary was in a hurry and had neither the time nor the patience to make a gourmet style meal of it. Nevertheless, she did a decent enough job with the time and utensils she was allotted; she even parted with a bullet to season the meat with a little gunpowder. After the cooking was complete, the meat was wrapped up, packed up, and given to Raymond to carry back to Emerald Bay. Mary doused and buried the fires and tossed what remained of the deer into Echo Lake. She and Raymond then proceeded on with their journey. They would be traveling via terrain and Emerald Bay Road for as long as was necessary. If Serena felt it was safe enough she would send Anthony back by car to meet them on the road and bring them the rest of the way.

  “Tell me if I’m movin’ too fast for ya,” Mary called to Raymond as she navigated the wooded, alpine landscape east of the Angora lakes. “So I can make sure to move even faster!”

  “Don’t worry about me, girl.” Raymond answered back. Even though his hands, too, were bound with Ethernet cable, Raymond still had a decent range of maneuverability, and even held a slab of deer meat in his fingers. He ate from it every moment he was given the chance. Mary moved quickly, however, so those chances were few. “I’ve got a few decent miles left in me.”

  “Oh I’m not worried.” Mary replied. She had both the rifle and Amy in her possession. The empty AK-12 was given to Raymond to carry, along with their bag of deer meat. “I can always shoot another deer.”

  “No doubt you can,” Raymond laughed, and mildly
choked on a piece of meat. “You’re a very capable woman. I can see that much.”

  “Lucky for you, huh? For ‘soldiers on a mission’ you and your friends really suck. ”

  “My friends are tough, but they are not soldiers, and I was never a very good one.”

  “No shit,” Mary answered. She believed the first half of Raymond’s statement, but was skeptical of the latter half. “Y’all really half-assed this mission. You’d be dead already if it wasn’t for my boy.”

  “How did you meet them, the boy and his mother?”

  “Somebody tried to kill them,” Mary turned to Raymond and snarled. “But I killed that somebody first.”

  “Good work,” Raymond took advantaged of Mary’s temporarily slowed pacing to steal a bite of meat. After consuming it he went on, “You’re very protective of those you care for. I like that quality.”

  “Yes, but I’m very selective in those I choose to cherish,” Mary turned and quickened her pace. “Too many and life gets a little more complicated than I like.”

  “Would you really have shot us back there in the road?” Raymond hoped that Mary was merely testing him and his friends and that she wasn’t truly capable of committing such a callous act. Still, it was not a hope he would be willing to wager his life over.

  “Fuck yeah I really would’ve!” The elation in Mary’s voice did not go unnoticed. “Still will, if I need to… or, you know, if I just feel like it.”

  “You would not have enjoyed it, killing us like that. You’re not a bad person.”

  “No, I’m not a bad person, but I’m not a stupid one either.” Mary believed the latter half of her statement, but she was a little skeptical about the first half. She spoke on, “I know what’s waiting on the other side of these mountains… Umbra Diaboli.”

  Those last two words Mary spoke stopped Raymond completely. The cold woods became colder and all the sounds around him seemed to vanish – replaced by the echo of that horrible phrase. Umbra Diaboli. As the echo faded away, Raymond had to run to catch up with Mary.