by Ryan Casey
He steadied his breathing, tried not to get too caught up in the pain in his back. He remembered the things he’d been taught back in military training.
Don’t resist the pain.
Accept it and work with it.
Easier said than done.
But something he’d have to try all the same.
He gritted his teeth together, and he launched himself forward again.
The pain was crippling. The searing sensations made it feel like he was opening his wounds. And the ties against the wood behind him… they felt like they were going to cut his wrists right open.
But he kept on pulling because he heard that wood creaking some more.
He kept on pulling because he was alive, and as long as he was alive, he had the chance to save someone.
He kept on pulling because—
A snap.
He fell forward. Hit the floor in front of him, face first.
He paused for a few seconds. Moved his hands freely.
The wood had snapped.
And even though the ties were still around his wrists… his hands were free.
He pulled his blindfold away with his shaky fingers.
The first thing he noticed was that it was night.
There was wind rattling the window beside him. Snow hammering against it. He was in some kind of old, derelict bedroom of a house that looked like it’d collapsed long before the EMP struck.
He looked around, tried to gather his bearings.
Then he saw a door.
He’d have to go through there.
He had to find Sofia.
And he had to get them both out of here.
He walked towards the door. Stopped to listen for any sounds outside, then opened it when he was sure it was clear.
It creaked as he moved it.
He saw a corridor in the dark.
There was a door beside it.
Closed.
But Mike could hear voices inside.
He stepped towards it. Pushed it open, slowly, just a little.
There was a man in there.
He was leaning over Sofia, who was tied up, just like he had been.
He was practically slavering over her.
Sickness radiated through Mike’s body. Sickness at what this man was planning on doing. Sickness at the depravity which men in particular fell to when the old order of the world flipped on its head.
He tightened his fists.
Then he walked towards this man.
Slowly.
The man moved his hands up Sofia’s bare legs. He kept on going, which made Mike move quicker, made him get a move on.
And then he reached the top inside of her thigh.
“Maybe you don’t have to go through hell here after all,” the man—balaclava over his face—said. “Maybe you can be my good friend after al—”
He didn’t finish what he was saying.
Mike cracked him over the head with a piece of wooden debris.
The man fell to the side, though not fatally. His head was bleeding, but it wasn’t enough to take him down completely.
He looked around, baffled, curious.
Mike thought about holding back. He thought about showing mercy.
But there was no room for mercy against an animal like this anymore.
He slammed the piece of wood against his head until the man was silent.
Then he threw it to one side and went over to Sofia.
Sofia was shaking. Her eyes were wide. She was looking at the bloody mess of the man on the floor.
“Did he hurt you?” Mike asked.
Sofia shook her head as Mike undid her ties.
“Did any of them hurt you?”
“No,” she said. “He—he was the first. You… You’re alive. They kept you alive.”
Mike undid the ties completely. Then together with Sofia, he stood up. “Just about,” he said, noticing the pain in his back again. “But I’m not sure I want to take my chances surviving in here. We need to get out of here and back on the road. Any idea where we actually are?”
“All I know is we walked quite a way,” Sofia said. “Or… well. We were dragged quite a way.”
Mike nodded. “We get out of here. Find our way onto the road. Get our bearings. They can’t have dragged us far.”
“What about the others?” Sofia asked.
Mike gulped. Looked around. Heard nothing but silence. Then he looked back at Sofia, trying to look as collected as possible. “I don’t know where they are. But it doesn’t matter. It’s time we got out of here.”
They made a break down the corridor, down the stairs, through this empty home and to the front door.
When Mike reached it, he heard footsteps behind, and he stopped.
He turned around.
When he saw who was standing there, his stomach dropped.
It was Theo.
He was holding a long blade.
Smile on his face.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
Chapter Forty-Four
Alison walked into the mouth of the blizzard and wondered when it was going to swallow her completely whole.
The night was thick and dark, made even more intense by this blizzard. It was the worst snowstorm she’d encountered since the start of winter, that was for sure. So intense that she could barely put one foot in front of the other. The snow seemed to be getting thicker underfoot with every passing second. She fell down a few times, as too did Emma, who was beside her.
But all this time, as her lips chapped and cracked with the iciness of the conditions, she held on to Kelsie.
All this time, she kept on walking.
Because there was no way she could turn back, not after going this far.
She did look over her shoulder a few times, though. Hoped she’d see Holly emerging, with Mike and Sofia by her side.
But she knew deep down that she wouldn’t be seeing them again. Their paths had diverged by the most miraculous means, and now they’d split apart all over again.
She’d wanted to go with Holly.
But she heard her.
She had a duty beyond Mike and Sofia now.
She had a duty to get Kelsie and Emma to this sanctuary.
She felt her legs going weak as she walked. Kelsie’s eyes were closed. Every now and then, she checked her heartbeat. Her pulse was slow. She hadn’t opened her eyes for a long time. She knew time was running out for this poor girl.
Which was all the more reason to keep on going.
She looked at Emma, who was by her side. Bless her, she was pushing on. She was tough. She had to be. Everyone had to be.
At least Alison knew she could believe in Emma if anything went wrong.
At least she knew—
She tumbled forward and fell to the ground.
She felt herself sink into the snow. It was a few seconds before Emma helped her back up, half-smiled at her. She said something at the top of her voice, but the wind and the snow were so intense that Alison couldn’t hear her.
“We’re getting close,” Alison said. “Just got to keep on moving.”
But there was a waning belief in her own words. She thought back to Holly. The worry she’d felt about her. The faith she’d lost in her.
And after all this time… at least Holly had proven herself.
If she could take anything from this mess, it was that.
She fell forward again.
But this time, she hit solid ground.
She tasted blood. Lifted her head, not getting any help this time.
And when she looked around, she noticed something.
There was no sign of Emma.
She frowned. Tension built. “Emma?”
She stumbled back into the snow.
That’s when she saw it.
There was a message. She could barely make it out at first, and she was lucky to see it. But there was no doubting it. A message written in the snow.
“Had to help Holly.
Get Kelsie safe. Good luck.”
Alison’s stomach sank. That fear returned. The fear that she was alone, all over again.
But this time she drew strength from it, too.
This time, she felt something else.
She could conquer this.
She had a purpose. She had a goal.
She’d made it alone before, and she’d make it again.
She turned around, Kelsie in her arms, and went to move forward.
That’s when she saw it.
Or rather, heard it.
First, the engine.
Then, the headlights, blinding.
Then the person stepping out of the car.
She held her ground. Held her breath. Waited, heart racing, for whatever was next.
Then something surprised her.
A dog.
A dog jumped up at her. Knocked her to her back.
But this dog.
It didn’t bite her.
It didn’t attack her.
It… licked her face and slobbered all over her.
Alison moved her head to one side.
And that’s when she saw it.
That’s when she saw who it was.
“Arya?” she said.
Then someone emerged from behind Arya.
Someone appeared above her, blinded by the light, at first.
She squinted.
Strained.
And then, in that blinding light, she saw her.
“Gina?” she said.
Chapter Forty-Five
“Going somewhere?”
The hairs on Mike’s arms stood on end when Theo spoke. He was standing there in the darkness holding a long blade. A samurai style sword. The smile on his face was vicious, cruel. Mike could see this went far beyond vengeance; far beyond getting his own back on Mike’s people for what they’d supposedly done to his family.
Theo was a man who had stepped over into the abyss. And once you’d made that kind of move, it wasn’t so easy to make it back.
“For a man who should probably be begging for his life right now, you’re awfully quiet.”
Mike held his gaze, held his ground, Sofia standing right beside him. “I could say the same to you.”
Theo laughed. “See, that’s what I like about you, Mike. That’s what I’ve grown to like about you. We burn down your home. We chase you out. We stab you, and we lock you up in that room upstairs. But still you find a way to get out. And still you find a way to convince yourself that somehow, you have the upper hand. But you don’t. Remember that. You don’t. You’ve crossed the line one too many times. That is going to change, right here, right now.”
He started to walk towards Mike, then. It was only at that point that Mike noticed there were other people in here, emerging from the shadows of the building, watching. Theo’s friends. Not many of them left, but enough to cause a headache. Enough to be a problem.
He lifted his blade. Stroked a finger across the edge of it, cutting it in the process—and not seeming to care too much. “I really wanted to put you through hell,” he said. “I really wanted to torture you. But hey. Your friend here will have to suffice.”
He threw himself at Mike, sword raised.
Mike stumbled out of the way, so too did Sofia. But Theo wasn’t letting up. He spun around, swung the sword at Mike’s legs.
Mike staggered back, but it was too late. The sharp edge of the sword scraped his shins, cutting through his jeans and the top layers of skin on impact.
He looked down as the blood dribbled down his legs, then back up at Theo, who still had that animalistic expression on his face; that look of enjoyment.
“What’s wrong, Mike? You struggling all of a sudden? You got nowhere to run anymore?”
Mike tightened his fists, steadied his ground. “I’m just figuring out the best way to kill you,” he said.
And then he launched himself at Theo.
He had to be careful. He had to time it right because Theo was holding out the blade. One wrong move and Mike would be impaled on the end of it.
But Mike was combat trained. He knew a thing or two.
He watched as Theo raised his sword, ready to impale him.
Then he dropped down.
Slide tackled him, taking his feet from under him.
Theo came flying down on top of him.
The edge of the sword smashed against the ground beside him.
And before Theo could do anything, Mike cracked a punch across his face and knocked him to the side.
He climbed on top of him, then. Wrapped his hands around his neck, started to tighten as Theo kicked out and struggled.
“You see?” Mike said. “You might think you’re tough. You might think you’re strong. But without your friends, you’re nothing.”
Theo spat up into Mike’s face. He was still kicking out, still struggling.
Mike tightened his hands around Theo’s neck. “Now I’m going to watch you beg. And when you start begging, I’m going to watch your face turn when you realise I’m not going to let you go. When you realise you’re going to die. And then I’m going to do it over and over again until you’re a broken man. Maybe then I’ll kill you. Maybe.”
He tightened his grip further, watched as Theo’s eyes widened, saw his mouth mumble something like “Please.”
“What was that?” Mike asked, leaning in closer. “I didn’t quite hear you.”
He loosened his grip around Theo’s neck.
Allowed him to get his breath back, just for a moment.
“Something to say?” Mike said.
Theo nodded as he lay there, gasping. “I said… watch your back.”
Mike frowned. He looked over his shoulder.
Nobody there.
Then he saw Sofia’s eyes widening; saw her running towards him. “Mike, watch out!”
But it was already too late.
Theo lurched towards his neck and wrapped his teeth around him.
Mike let go of Theo instinctively, tried to drag him from his neck.
But it was that moment of weakness Theo was looking for.
It was the opportunity he’d been waiting for, and he’d taken it.
Mike pushed back against Theo’s head, but his teeth were too tight. He was sinking down into his flesh, drawing blood.
Mike punched him. He kicked him. He tried everything to get himself free.
He saw Sofia run over.
But the second she reached Theo’s side, he punched her in the face, hard, knocking her to the ground.
He struggled some more to break free. Blood trickled freely down his neck now. The pain of his wounds grew more prominent, more noticeable.
He was about to punch Theo again when he noticed his greatest mistake of all.
Being distracted.
Theo grabbed the sword, let go of Mike’s neck with his teeth and swiftly placed the blade to his throat.
Mike was on his back now, on the ground. Theo stood over him, Mike’s blood staining his teeth; muddying his smile.
He peered down at Mike with those vicious eyes in the light of the moon and the glow of the snow.
“It’s over,” he said. “No fighting. Not anymore. You’re beat.”
Mike lay there on the ground. Sofia was down. He was down. As far as he could tell… Theo was right.
That was the thing he wasn’t willing to face up to; that he wasn’t willing to admit.
But he had to face up to it. He didn’t know what else he could do.
He thought about how he’d dealt with other rivals in the past. He thought about the conciliatory tone he’d taken; that desire to see humanity as inherently good, in hope that people could build bridges rather than walls even after all the chaos and pain they’d endured.
“Any last words?” Theo said.
Mike opened his mouth.
And then he saw someone.
Saw someone in the corner of his eye.
Holly.
She was standing behind Theo.
Not close to him. Not close enough to act.
But she was here.
She’d come back.
Mike looked his daughter right in his eyes, his blade pressed to his neck, and he felt so proud all over again.
“You should always stay aware of your surroundings,” Mike said. “You should never let your guard drop. Ever.”
Theo frowned. “What—”
“Hey,” Holly said.
Theo spun around, looked over his shoulder.
Mike grabbed the sharp edge of the blade in his hands.
He knocked the handle right back into Theo’s stomach.
He saw Theo’s hands loosen their grip as he spun the blade around, as he pushed Theo to the ground.
Then he stood over him, blade to his neck, roles reversed.
Theo smiled as he lay there in the sun. He lifted his hands, his teeth still stained with Mike’s blood.
“Go on. Give me the old speech. Tell me about how forgiveness is key, and how we can always move forward. Go on.”
Mike swallowed a lump in his throat.
Then, he sighed.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any words left for you.”
Theo’s eyes narrowed. “What—”
Then Mike jammed the sword right through Theo’s throat.
He looked into his confused eyes as he kneeled there, gargling. He watched as the confusion turned to fear, and then the fear turned to begging.
He watched as the begging went away, and all it left behind was blankness. Emptiness.
He watched Theo roll to the ground, and he knew it was over.
He pulled the blade away. Walked over to Holly. Left Theo to die alone. Because that’s all he deserved. It was more than he deserved, for what he’d done to Mike’s people, to his home.
Mike wrapped his arms around Holly. “What’re you doing here?”
“I couldn’t just leave you here.”
“You shouldn’t have come back here.”
“But I’m here. And we’re both alive. All three of us are alive.”
Mike opened his mouth to contest. But in the end, he just nodded, smiled. Because his daughter might just have saved his life. He couldn’t hold that against her.
He walked over to Sofia. Her eyes were open now, but she’d taken a pretty nasty bump to the head. It didn’t look great.
He helped her to her feet. Then they stood there, together with Holly.
Mike looked back at the building. He looked at Theo’s people standing there, staring out, shock on their faces.
