by SD Tanner
“Shaddup, Pax,” Wolfie said sharply. “I’m waitin’ on a sensible convo with Gears. If I want stupid, I’ll call ya, but don’t wait up, the phones don’t work anymore.”
Giving him a pleading look, Pax asked, “Do I gotta be here? Wolfie’s bein’ mean.”
He’d lost count of how many men his brother had killed in his lifetime, and he was pretty sure his sensitivity chip burned out years ago. Setting his scarred mouth into a smirk, he growled, “Shaddup, Pax, and eat your cookie.”
Like all good soldiers, Wolfie and his gang knew trash talking one another was simply a way to pass an otherwise boring day. That’s the problem, he thought irritably, I’m bored. Where once he hadn’t enough hours in the day, now he had too many.
Trying to dispel his bad mood, he took a deep breath, and after exhaling slowly, he asked, “So, what’s been happenin’ since we left?”
With a sharp sniff, Wolfie shrugged and said, “Nothin’ much. More people joined us, but they dunno what really happened, and if we tell ‘em, they don’t really believe it. Some people think the earth changed ‘cos there was no more global warmin’.”
“Seriously?” TL asked in disbelief. “The country didn’t look like this before there was global warming, so why would that have anything to do with it.”
Giving TL a cynical stare, Wolfie replied dourly, “People are really fuckin’ stupid, dude.”
Snorting at Wolfie’s comment, he asked, “How’s Mike doin’ in New York?”
“He’s good. We try to catch up once year, so we take a ride out and meet him somewhere. The New Yorkers moved to Pennsylvania, and he says they’re doin’ well.” Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “But you didn’t claw your way outta your grave to see how we were doin’, now did ya?”
Before he could reply, Wolfie’s second-in-command, Jackson, interjected and asked curiously, “Just how did you guys do that? I mean, it’s physically impossible, right? You were in body bags with a ton of earth on top of you.” Tilting his head, he asked, “How’d you move your arms?”
He hadn’t really thought about it, and giving the man a frustrated look, he asked, “Does it matter?”
Studying Jackson with interest, Pax chewed on his cookie thoughtfully and said, “Depends on how strong you are.” Looking smug, he added, “We must be really strong. Ip didn’t dig herself up, but she ain’t that strong, and she’s kinda lazy anyway.”
He couldn’t believe he was listening to such a banal conversation. Pointedly turning his head to face Wolfie, he said, “No, we didn’t come back to ask after your wellbeing. To be honest, I kinda assumed you were all doin’ fine. That was the whole point of gettin’ rid of Ruler.” Feeling frustrated, he exhaled sharply and said, “I dunno why we’re here, Wolfie. Ip woke us up and we’ve met Max…”
“Isn’t she dead?” Wolfie interrupted.
Waving his hand dismissively, he said impatiently, “Yeah, yeah, but you know how it is these day. Max told us the babies, well kids now, are gonna be killed by some guy. I promised Max I’d take care of ‘em, so here we are.”
“Who kills ‘em?”
“I dunno. All we’ve seen so far is a bunch of assholes calling themselves the Crusaders, but they don’t look like much to me.”
“Oh yeah, we’ve heard about those guys, but we ain’t seen ‘em.”
“Who are they?” TL asked.
“Dunno really. We’ve jus’ heard they’ve been convertin’ people to a new faith.”
“What new faith?” He asked.
“Jus’ some religious crap. You know, God is vengeful, so ya better pray your ass off kinda shit.”
“They ain’t that friendly,” Pax commented. “They shoot you if you got enough brains to run from an asshole with a gun.”
“We need to put a stop to that,” he said dourly. “They don’t get to terrorize towns in the name of God. That’s jus’ bullshit. We didn’t put up with it before the end of the world, and we sure as shit ain’t puttin’ up with it now.”
Screwing his face in disgust, Pax asked, “That’s our mission, Gears? Takin’ down some two-bit piece of shit?”
“No, Pax, our mission is to keep the babies alive, but while we’re at it, we might as well keep the towns safe.” Shaking his head, he added, “Look, I dunno what we’re doin’ here either, but we can’t leave yet. Those townsfolk might have been willin’ to die, but if they ain’t got a backbone, then we should show ‘em how to get one.”
TL was watching him with interest and asked, “Whatcha got in mind?”
He didn’t really have anything in mind. Axe had an army, he had bases with weapons, and the towns had a problem with terrorists calling themselves Crusaders. It might not be the right mission, but he could at least take care of that problem. Without being able to prove it, he believed there had to be something more serious going on somewhere, but he didn’t have a clue what it was or where to look. It’s a big country, he thought miserably, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Leaning forward, he said firmly, “We need a police force. They can monitor the towns and deal with any terrorist activity, whether it comes from the Crusaders or any other asshole.” When no one spoke, he continued, “If we’ve got a fightin’ force, we can use ‘em as police and turn ‘em into an army if we need one.”
TL said wryly, “If you’re gonna do that, Gears, then you might as well form a central government while you’re at it.”
Screwing up his face in horror, he said sharply, “I don’t wanna collect taxes, TL.”
“That’s not all a government does.”
“How the hell would you know what the government does?” He asked in disgust. “You worked for Uncle Sam all your life.”
“No, no, no,” Jackson said firmly. “He’s right. A government would make sure we know what resources we have and where they are. I mean, we’ve got some towns producing oil, some making textiles, others with manufacturing and specialized agriculture, but we’ve got no comms, and it’s tough trying to work out who’s got what. We have to travel thousands of miles, and when we get where we’re going, we dunno if they’ve got what we need. We need comms up. We need to get the railroads working again. Hell, we even need education for our kids. If we stay the way we are, we’re gonna end up living like peasants again.”
Nodding, TL said firmly, “He’s right. We must be bleeding brains right now. If you leave it much longer, people won’t know how to get the trains and comms working, not to mention all the other stuff we need to know to stay smart.”
Terrific, he thought sarcastically, I’m gonna become an administrator. Harrumphing to himself, he decided eventually all old soldiers swap their guns for a pen and cushy desk job. He had no intention of doing that, but he didn’t have an enemy to fight. Can’t fight an enemy you can’t see, he thought dourly.
Giving TL a stern look, he said, “Yeah, alright, if you wanna start a government, be my guest. Pax and me will start a…police force. It ain’t what I wanna do, but I can’t fight an enemy I can’t see. I guess we’ve gotta go into a holdin’ pattern until the dynamic changes.”
Nodding, Pax said solemnly, “It always does.”
Snorting softly, he replied with a twisted smirk, “Always has so far.”
Chapter Twelve: Faith
“Nicely done, my dear. Stroke of genius.”
She was sitting on the edge of a lake far away from everyone. The hem of her long dress was slightly damp, and she’d kicked off her shoes to hang her feet in the water. Idly running her toes along the surface, she said sulkily, “Maybe so, but he’s very boring.”
Ruler appeared to be sitting on top of the clear water in front of her, but she knew he wasn’t really there. She didn’t quite understand how it worked, but he didn’t have a physical form, and from everything she’d witnessed, he could possess any living creature he wanted to. Being the Devil, his powers seemed fairly unlimited. Today he’d adopted his latest favorite form of the gargantuan beast with a long razor-edged tail. It was the one she
liked best too, but in the time she’d known him, he’d appeared in many different guises.
“The good always are,” he observed.
That’s true, she thought, maybe that’s why I don’t bother being good. She wasn’t sure about Gears or Pax, and Ruler told her to avoid the imp, Ip. Ip could read minds, and Ruler helped her veil much of hers to stop Ip from invading her thoughts. Even so, he warned her to stay away from Ip whenever possible. He didn’t trust the imp, and said being the Horseman of Death, she had skills and insights the others didn’t.
She would have made a play for Gears, he was more her type, but other than silently acknowledging her unspoken offer with a look, he hadn’t shown any interest. The shorter one had clearly understood her preferences, and had given her a look of utter contempt. Too bad for them, she thought haughtily, they don’t know what they’re missing.
Drifting across the still water until he was closer to her, he said conspiratorially, “You’re my messenger on earth, my dear, and I need you to do something for me.”
She loved her special status, and preening, she asked, “What do you want me to do? I always do anything you want.”
His sharp, jagged teeth showed clearly as he smiled in what she thought was a charming way. Nodding his awkwardly large head, he said, “I need you to be clever. Confronting the Horsemen doesn’t work, but they don’t deal well with covert actions. Last time I planted super hunters in their bases, they didn’t notice and thousands of people died.” Smiling even more widely at the memory, he continued, “Now they know who they are, and at least the Horseman of War knows what he can do, I need to set the dogs on the dogs.”
“What does that mean?”
“Man against man, but to achieve that we must first foster unrest. When man kills man, I win a soul. If enough men kill, I win enough souls and the gates to hell open, then it’s game over.”
“Is there unrest?”
When he snorted, smoke seemed to emerge from his nose, and he replied with a snigger, “When it comes to man, there’s always unrest. They’re an ambitious and dissatisfied bunch.” Eyeing her intently, he said, “I need you to be alert for any opportunities. Knowing the Horsemen as I do, they won’t sit idle. They’ll move across the country like a plague, and I need you to…stay abreast of everything and report back to me.”
She wasn’t sure she could be in all places at once, or that TL would keep her by his side. They’d only just met, and although she could use his compassion to manipulate him, she doubted it would keep him loyal to her longer term. Before the outbreak, she’d been the toy of several wealthy men, and was skilled at managing the needs of those who paid her bills. TL was a different sort of man, and not the type who would be interested in her particular talents.
“It’s not as simple as that. These men are in control, and they can have their pick of the litter. I’m not sure I can hold onto him.”
Shaking his head from side to side, as if he were contemplating the truth of her words, he said thoughtfully, “Men can be fickle.” Extending his long arm across the water between them, and running a filthy claw down her cheek, he said seductively, “You belong to me. Losing him means nothing other than it disrupts my plans.” Pressing the claw more firmly into the soft skin under her right eye, he added softly, “But I won’t be pleased if you fail.”
She knew what that meant, and failure was not an option. When Ruler tired of her, she would be cast aside and fed to his demons. Having seen them in action in her town, she thought they were crude and childish, not at all the sort of creatures she would give herself to. It was her intention to keep Ruler forever. The bond between master and slave was a complex one, and she wasn’t powerless in their relationship, quite the opposite. She could be what he needed, and few souls encouraged the Devil’s pleasure. Her willingness to be whatever he wanted, and his desire to have total control, gave her power over him too.
Sighing with pleasure at his threat of his touch, she said, “There’s only one of me. I can’t be in all places at once.”
Frowning and drawing back his claw, he said, “That’s true. We need more agents in their bases. I could send the demon super hunters.”
Disappointed at losing his amorous attention, she said sulkily, “That doesn’t work. They all have blue on blue eyes. Anyone who sees them knows what they are.” Becoming indignant, she added, “They hunt them down and kill them.”
“They can’t be killed. They’re demons possessing infected bodies.”
She thought Ruler could be very shortsighted, easily distracted and prone to missing the point. Sighing gently, she said, “Maybe so, but when they’re killed, we lose access to what they’re seeing. For as long as people can spot them so easily, we’ll never get into the towns the way we need to.”
Answering her unspoken thoughts, he said, “It’s not my fault my attention wanders. Humans are boring and I have a lot of other things to do.”
Lying to Ruler was impossible, he could read her mind, and although at times that was a pleasure, it also meant she had no secrets from him. She supposed that’s what made him such a good lover, he didn’t just anticipate her, he knew exactly what she feared and then did it.
“Don’t discount an eternity of experience, my dear. You’re certainly not my first.”
Preferring the safe cocoon of her special status, she didn’t want to hear about his other lovers. Dismissing her sudden spike of insecurity, she said tartly, “Then we should do what we can do now, and that’s create more super hunters. There’ll be a solution to our problem, we just have to wait until the opportunity presents itself.”
Drifting along the water until he was almost close enough for her to rest against, he said silkily, “Jealous little cub, aren’t we. In all my millennia, I don’t think I’ve met one quite as possessive as you.” Stroking her hair gently, he added, “There’s an intensity in you that piques my interest. Usually your type are all mouth with no follow through, easily broken and only a plaything.” Sniffing her face, he asked in a low voice, “I’ve never met a soul I can’t shatter. What will break you?”
He wasn’t the first to ask her that question, and she had no more of answer to give him than she had the others. What would break me, she wondered? The question drifted through her mind, and she remembered the first man to ask her that question. She never knew her father, he lived in an asylum where her mother worked as a cleaner. Working the night shift, when most of the staff were gone, she’d conceived a child with one of the inmates. Her mother never told her which of the convicted killers imprisoned in the mental hospital impregnated her, all she knew was that her father was insane.
After she was born, her mother needed more money and became a prostitute. Always a bit of drug addict, she eventually turned to crack, and as her addiction grew, there was less and less she wouldn’t do to get her next high. It was only a question of time before she turned to her daughter to service her customers. That was her life from the age of ten. Men came and went, but instead of becoming their victim, she chose to challenge them. What will it take to break you they would ask, and she never had an answer.
In the end, she tired of her mother taking her money to buy drugs. When she was fourteen, she waited until her mother was high, and then injected her with a fatal dose of heroin. Of course, the police believed it was an accidental overdose, but she knew better. After that they placed her into foster care, but unwilling to settle, she left one day and never returned. She lied about her age and earned a living as a call girl while she went to school and then university. She didn’t need an education, but it was an easy way to meet the men she would need to furnish her lifestyle.
Men, she thought dourly, what a bunch of fools they are. More than one offered to marry her, and she always said no, instead suggesting they give her gifts. She knew men didn’t want marriage, they wanted control, and the gift of money did just as well. Any gift she received was carefully set aside to be sold, and in just a few years she’d accrued a modest bank account.
Growing bored by the age of twenty-one, she was about to embark on a new career, a fulfilment of her fantasies. She wanted to kill women. Murdering her mother was a high she often thought about, and never achieved again. With a growing bank account, youth on her side, and nothing much to do all day, she had a plan.
“Oh, don’t complain. You’ve killed plenty of women now.”
She certainly had killed many women since Eden arrived, and their bodies were hidden under the purity of the snow around her town. After the outbreak, and before Eden, she’d travelled with many groups, usually as the plaything of one man or another, and ended up with Ron and Annie. It was a small group of three couples and Annie’s annoying twins, Nicky and Marky. With few supplies, Annie always insisted they were fed first.
Food was the one thing she never wanted to lose. It was her friend, a reliable companion, and something she could control. With the sort of services she offered her men, it never mattered whether she was a little plumper than most, in fact it was considered an advantage. Looking down at her breasts pushing against the bodice of her gown, she thought miserably, I’m too thin now.
She preferred a fuller figure, it offered some protection against the bruises and cuts. With more body fat, she could be thrown around without breaking bones. Yes, she thought, I need to be bigger. Not that she had to worry about that with TL. He was a tediously considerate sort of lover, very concerned she was satisfied without any idea of her preferences. Maybe I should educate him, she thought with a smirk.
“Don’t do that. He’s not the type.”
Rolling her eyes unhappily, she said sourly, “No, he’s not. It’s a shame the big one didn’t bite.”
“Lucky for you he didn’t. The imp would have killed you.”
Harrumphing sulkily, she declared contemptuously, “That scrawny little thing.”
With an amused chuckle that seemed at odds with his monstrous appearance, he said, “Don’t underestimate the imp. She might look like a woman, but killing is as much in her nature as it is mine. She’d slice you open, and not even wait around to watch you die.”
