The Feral Children | Book 3 | Nomads

by Simpson, David A.

  They attacked with a fury and ripped chunks of flesh from the hyena. It swirled and snapped but his jaws closed on empty air. Zero sprung and grabbed the beast by the throat and tore out a chunk of skin and fur. Blood sprayed across his muzzle and Meadow leapt in and tore the windpipe and veins out. They knew how to kill, how to bring down prey. Zero spit out the chunk of flesh and watched as his cubs snapped and snarled and tore in to the beast again. Swan was ready to finish him off, prepared to sink steel between his eyes but she didn’t have to. Her pack left him lifeless and lying in a puddle of spreading blood.

  She got unsteadily to her feet, held her broken arm close to her chest and winced through the pain of every step. Night was coming. She had to get back to the tribe. To her friends. To her family.

  26

  Tribe

  Tobias spotted her from his perch on the roof and ran to meet her. He knew from a half mile off something was wrong. They stumbled through the door of the house and he yelled for Harper. Swan was battered and bloodied and almost out on her feet. They eased her into a chair and Vanessa draped a blanket over her shoulders. She was shivering and cold from loss of blood.

  Kodiak and the boys stood back to give them room as the wolves whined and stayed underfoot. Harper had to push them aside so she could assess the damage.

  “Diablo.” Swan said. “It’s over. We killed him.”

  “Her arm is busted.” Tobias said “it looks bad.”

  When he met her at the edge of the woods, he had wrapped the holes in her wrist with his shirt. He was afraid to pull off the shredded armor on her other arm, it looked like it was helping to hold the bloody arm in place.

  Vanessa cut Swan’s mangled armguard away and they could see the punctures and bruising. The skin was torn from the hyena’s teeth, it had bit through the plastic, but the guard had distributed the pressure. Instead of sawing in, snapping the bone and ripping her arm off he’d only managed to break it. Harper probed at the wound. Swan winced and hissed through her teeth.

  “It’s definitely broken. I’m gonna have to set it back in place before the swelling sets in. Donny, find me something to splint it with. Some flat boards. Kodiak get some t-shirts from that bedroom and tear them into strips. Vanessa, bring me my saddlebag. I have peroxide and painkillers in it.” Harper said.

  The boys scattered to look for the necessary items, while Vanessa grabbed the satchel that had just been refilled from the botched Walmart raid.

  Swan sat at the table, erect and proud, and kept her face a mask. She wouldn’t wince. She wouldn’t cry out. Her pupils were pinpoints from the pain rolling through her body in waves but her breathing was controlled.

  Pull air slowly in and push the pain out. One breath at a time. Breathe in life, exhale the hurt.

  She smiled a bloody smile at Harper. “You should have seen it. It was a glorious fight. We killed that humpback bastard, we killed him hard. Lucy can rest in peace now.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks and left clean lines that cut through the war paint and blood but she didn’t cry out when Harper set the bone in place. She splinted it as gently as she could then turned her attention to the other rips and tears and slashes from the hyena’s claws and teeth. Her armor had saved her from the worst of it, nearly every piece had deep gouges.

  Harper ran the boys out and they stripped her to sponge away the grime and crusted blood. Tobias brought a nightgown down from upstairs and by the time she was cleaned and bandaged the Vicodin had kicked in. She was feeling no pain as they moved her to the couch and within minutes she had drifted off.

  Kodiak’s heart ached as he stared at her. The road was slowly devouring them. Otis, then Analise, now Swan. Tobias had seemed to come around while he was helping Swan but he was a wreck. His eyes were empty and hollow and he’d gone back up to the roof to keep watch. Donny was heartbroken. He’d seen the looks between the pale beauty and the silent boy when they thought no one was looking. He spent more time looking behind than forward. He knew the boy was a whisper away from turning around to search for her. It was best to know, to bury a body, then it was to not know, to think you may have abandoned her. Part of him wanted to turn back, too. Maybe they had missed her, maybe they should have searched farther away from the river. Maybe they should have broken into every house, not just the ones closest to the water. Maybe she was curled up in a crawlspace, hungry, hurt and alone.

  Or maybe she was hunting humans, mindless and a different kind of hungry.

  He stared at Harper while she inventoried and repacked her medical bag. He felt the lump in his throat at the thought of anything happening to her. It would kill him. They were getting close to Lakota, close to safety. Close to their new home and he couldn’t lose any more of his people. He had to be more careful, take more precautions but wasn’t sure what he could do differently.

  He realized they were alone, everyone was taking splash baths with the lice soap or tending to their animals. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers. She smelled like blood and lavender. Sweat and leather. Old fear and new worry.

  “I think I’d die if anything happened to you.” He whispered. “I don’t know if I could go on.”

  She turned into his embrace, placed her head against his chest armored chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  They held each other silently for a while, a thick layer of plastic and leather between them.

  “I’ll be so glad when we get to Lakota.” She said “We won’t have to wear this stuff anymore.”

  “Soon.” He said. ‘We’re getting close.”

  “You should check on Tobias.” She said “Make sure he’s not planning anything crazy. I’m worried about him.”

  He kissed the top of her head then headed for the stairs. He scaled the balcony and sat on the roof beside the pale boy and they sat in silence for a time as the moon rose in the starry sky.

  “She’s out there.” Tobias said. “I feel it. I can’t explain it, but I know it’s true. She’s not dead. I don’t know the word for it, but it’s like we have a connection.”

  Kodiak nodded. “I’ve always heard that about twins.”

  “I was a jerk to her.” Tobias whispered. “I didn’t mean it. She was just being so bitchy, and I lost my cool.”

  “Do you want to turn back?” Kodiak asked. “We will. We can spread out the search, look farther away from the river.”

  Tobias stared into the darkness for a long time and Kodiak thought he wasn’t going to answer.

  “No,” he finally said. “She’s not there. We looked everywhere. Daisy would have scented her if she was anywhere close. She either went down river a lot farther than we looked or she got bit and didn’t smell like herself anymore.”

  He said it flatly, almost without emotion. He’d been considering the possibility for days but hadn’t wanted to voice it.

  “Did you know polar bears can smell underwater?” He asked. “They can smell a seal even if it’s ten miles away. Even if we weren’t able to find her, Daisy or Popsicle could have. You can’t hide from a bear.”

  “Or Donny.” Kodiak added.

  “Yeah.” Tobias shrugged. “Or Donny. You know, I think he loves her. I think she loves him too, but she’s never admitted it and he doesn’t give away anything he doesn’t want you to know. I don’t know how to feel about that.”

  “He’s a good guy.” Kodiak said. “He’s hurting too. I won’t be surprised to find him gone in the morning to look for her.”

  “He’d be wasting his time just like we would if we went back.” He said. “You want to hear something funny? She’s ok. I don’t know where she is or how she got away, but I know she’s fine. When I’m still and quiet, I feel it. I can’t explain it, but I feel it right here.”

  He thumped a fist over his heart. He supposed he’d always had the connection but he hadn’t felt it like he did now. When he sat on the roof and emptied his mind of all the worry, when he relaxed his brain, he could feel her. She was still out there
somewhere.

  “She’ll find us. We just need to keep going. She might even beat us to Lakota, who knows.”

  “I believe you.” Kodiak said. “You might try talking to Donny. He could use it.”

  “I will.” Tobias agreed. “He should stay with the tribe.”

  Kodiak stood and stepped to the edge of the roof.

  “I won’t give up on my sister. We’ll see her again. Either here or the halls of Valhalla.”

  27

  Analise and the Spivey’s

  Spivey came into the house and watched as Analise hobbled around the kitchen on the crutch he’d made for her. The medicine had knocked her out and she had slept well. They let her rest until she woke up grumbling about it being so late, the day was already half gone. It was nice to see her up and about. She wore some of Sara’s clothes although they were too big and hung limply on her small frame. Without all of the armor she was half the size. Her almost white hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and she reminded him of an elven princess from an epic fantasy novel.

  “Wash up.” She said. “Breakfast is almost ready.”

  She wielded the knife with a surgeon’s precision as she sliced the shoulder from the deer he’d shot early that morning into thin steaks. She was a study in efficiency as she seasoned and floured the meat and tended the pot simmering on the stove. Laurie and Sara tried to help but she good naturedly shooed them away. Sara had flour on her cheeks and was stirring up the bowl of seasoned eggs.

  “Someone is feeling better.” He said.

  She was. A good night’s sleep had done wonders. Her ankle bothered her more than the gouge in her shoulder but she couldn’t really remember a time when she wasn’t recovering from some kind of injury. Laurie had offered her another pill to help with the pain but she’d turned it down. It was only a sprained ankle.

  “And a fist-sized hole in your shoulder.” Laurie had said.

  “Yeah, but it’s not deep.” Analise had replied. “I’ve had worse.”

  She flashed him a smile. “I’ll be back with my tribe soon. I wanted to do something nice for you before I go and cooking is kind of my and Tobias’s thing.”

  “Smells great. My stomach and I approve.” He said with a laugh while he rubbed his belly. “After breakfast, I’ll show you my ride.”

  Analise smiled happily and dropped a steak into the hot grease. “Can’t wait.”

  The meal was filled with laughter and some tears as Analise told them tales about each of her tribe. She told mostly funny stories of the children and the monkeys or Teddy running away with the plow or her brothers’ inability to make good cheese. There had been some rough patches but she glossed over them and mostly remembered the good times. When the meal was finished, Spivey pushed back from his chair and groaned with pleasure.

  “Young lady, you are the second best cook I’ve ever met.” He shot a wink at Laurie.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Soon as I clean up, I’ll be ready to get out of here.” Analise said.

  Laurie threw up her hands in protest. “Oh, no. Sara and I will do the dishes. You’ve done enough. You two go play with his toy.”

  Analise arched an eyebrow and looked at him expectantly. Toy? He nodded and stood from the table. She grabbed her crutch and followed along behind him as he made his way outside. They were in a small industrial park surrounded by chain link fences with barbed wire along the top. A lone zombie clawed and keened at the barrier when it scented them but they paid it no mind. A sea of solar panels covered a large open area and thick cables snaked into one of the buildings housing the banks of batteries. He strolled across to another building and slid open the roll up door. Excited, she stepped inside expecting a tank or some kind of jacked up vehicle with guns and armor plates covering it. Something like Bob had built. Something tough that could take some punishment and cover the miles easily. She looked around for it. There was nothing but a bunch of dust covered machinery and a big basket with what looked like a circus tent folded beside it. She looked up at Spivey.

  “Where is it?” She asked. She was anxious to get going. Doubt settled in her heart for the first time since she’d met him. Were they just stringing her along to keep her there?

  He pointed at the basket and the pile of material.

  “I present to you the Valkyrie. My hot air balloon. We’ll be able to spot your friends from miles away and won’t have to worry about outrunning the zoms.” He said with a big grin.

  She just stood there with her mouth open.

  28

  Analise

  It was still dark out and the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when they returned to the shed the next morning. He was in coveralls with a jacket slung over his arm. It could get cold if they went high. She’d spent yesterday repairing her armor and replacing pieces that had been ripped loose in the currents. Spivey had a well-supplied machine shop and plenty of electricity to power it. She had wanted to leave yesterday but he’d explained about the prevailing breezes and they’d have a much easier time flying if they left early in the morning. The currents nearly always blew to the southwest near dawn as the sun started warming the earth. She had buckled her boot tight and between it and the ace bandage, she walked without the crutch. She moved silently in her armor and carried a freshly made saw toothed battle-axe. She watched in nervous anticipation as Spivey carefully laid out the balloon material. He told her it was called the envelope and nodded along as he explained how it worked. It was all great, but she wished he would work a little more and talk a little less. He laughed at the serious look on her face and assured her he knew what he was doing.

  She offered to help but he waved her off. He affixed the lines from the balloon to the basket then tied it off to the stakes he had sunk in concrete. Satisfied, he hit the starter button on a propane powered generator. The motor hummed to life and settled into a steady idle. He positioned a fan at the mouth of the balloon, plugged it in and the material began to ripple from the forced breeze. She felt something on her arm and looked to see Sara concentrating on drawing something with a magic marker. Analise watched as the lines took shape and she recognized a flower starting to form. Sara smiled sheepishly.

  “I wanted to put my mark on you, so you won’t forget me.” she said.

  Analise smiled and held her arm steady. The girl focused on her work, tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth, as she crudely drew a pink flower.

  “All done.” Sara said.

  Analise turned it this way and that, admiring the simple work.

  “It’s beautiful. Thank you. I’ll never wash it off.” She hugged the girl tightly. She would have Sasha ink it in permanently when she got to Lakota.

  “Better not.” Sara said.

  The black and yellow balloon began to take shape and it reminded her of a giant light bulb. Anticipation fluttered in her stomach. Closer. She was getting closer to finding her family.

  Spivey stepped over, nodded his approval of the new tattoo.

  “Won’t be long now.” He assured her. “Once it’s inflated, I’ll light the burners and she’ll be ready. The wind is steady out of the north in the general direction we want to go, and we should make good time once we’re up there.”

  “How do you steer it?” She asked. It wouldn’t do to fly off in the wrong direction.

  “The wind shifts direction based on how high we are. I’ll take her up or down until we find a current that works. I can’t follow the road exactly, but we’ll be close enough to spot your friends if they’re out there.”

  “They are.” She said with conviction.

  He nodded. “You know, you all would be more than welcome to stay here. You, your friends and animals. There’s plenty of room.”

  “Thank you, but I need to go to this Lakota. The little kids have been there for weeks and I’d love to see them again.”

  Spivey stepped back to the balloon, made a few adjustments and lit the burner at the top of the basket. He studied her without being obvio
us about it. Four days ago he’d dragged a barely conscious little girl from the water near his fish traps. She was bloody, bedraggled and looked like a drowned cat. He wasn’t sure she’d survive. Now she stood tall and proud, her white hair braided and wearing armor like a second skin. She’d fashioned a deadly looking weapon in only a few hours and it was obvious she knew how to use it. She was the most intimidating fourteen-year-old he’d ever met. She didn’t look like a little kid, she looked like a battle-hardened warrior. Within minutes the balloon began to rise from its lazy position on the ground until it was standing straight up. The word Valkyrie stood out boldly in big white letters across the black and yellow background.

  “My brother and I are descended from Vikings.” Analise said as she watched it get fuller and firmer. “Valkyrie is a fine ship for me to sail the skies in. Maybe it was my destiny to be here, with you and your family.”

  He put a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe so. Let’s go find your tribe young Shield Maiden.”

  Laurie came over to say goodbye. She held a picnic basket loaded down with food and supplies. She smiled and tried to be strong as she embraced Analise.

  “There’s food in here for your tribe. There’s also stuff for you and the other girls. Some soaps and cosmetics, things like that. Take care of yourself. This isn’t goodbye, more like see you later. Goodbye would turn me into a sniveling mess and ruin my makeup. Find your way back someday, ok?”

  “I will.” Analise said.

  She looked for Sara. The girl was poking a stick at some debris by the fence. She waved at Analise then turned back to whatever had her attention.