Rude Shock

by Scott Medbury

  “Don’t worry. I’ll stay back and out of harm’s way.”

  He nodded and kissed her cheek, but still didn’t look entirely happy as she turned back to help Indigo. The death of Kevin had clearly rattled him. I got him busy by sending him to find the rocket launcher and the last two grenades.

  Thirty minutes later, all was in readiness. We assumed the party which had taken out Kevin and his crew had been a spearhead and had probably gone back to the main body of their army to report. Given it had been close to an hour since Kevin had made contact, we knew we could expect our visitors any time.

  Luke and I walked along the barrier for one final check. We had a line of people wielding shotguns, rifles, and pistols nearly the length of the barricade. I did a rough head count. Including Luke, myself, Paul, Danny, Jamal, Ben, and Indigo, we had nearly eighty-five guns. Behind, there was a space of about eighty feet to the people armed with homemade weapons, assorted tools, and purpose made weapons like swords and daggers.

  Everyone looked resolute and determined and, optimistically, I started to think it might just be possible to turn back Ash and his Marauders. When the warning call went up a few minutes later, I looked down Elm Street, my optimism slowly fading.

  From that distance, the Marauders looked like a black tide washing down the wide street. Ben handed me a pair of binoculars without me having to ask and the reality of what we faced hit me like a hard slap across the face.

  The column of armed Marauders, their faces blackened with ash, decorated with piercings and feathers in their hair, marched behind a tank. As I scanned along the vanguard, I could see nearly every one of them was armed with rifles or automatic weapons. Through the gaps in that line, I could see the same behind them.

  I focused the binoculars on the tank as my ears caught the rumbling noise of it. In front of it, naked from the waist up strutted the upright, muscled figure of Ash, the shaven headed thug carrying an automatic pistol in each hand. As Luke had pointed out back at the bridge, Ash’s once handsome face was now a graffiti covered joke. Nearly every centimeter of his face was covered, and the whites of his crazy eyes stood out starkly against the black, inked words.

  I didn’t bother trying to read any of the words, although the one on his forehead stood out clearly and pretty much summed up the general theme: HELLFIRE.

  I lowered the glasses, my brain working furiously. “We can’t fight them,” I said quietly.

  “What?” asked Luke.

  “We can’t fight them. It would be suicide.”

  “We don’t have a choice, dude. We can’t fall on their mercy. You’ve heard the stories and seen for yourself what he is. He doesn’t have any mercy.”

  “I know. I have another idea.”

  I lowered my gun and walked along the barricade until I came upon a boy wearing a white t-shirt. He didn’t notice me. He was looking down the barrel of his rifle, too focused on the enemy to sense me.

  “I need your shirt.”

  He jumped a little and looked up at me with wide eyes.

  “Isaac, what are you doing?” Indigo came up behind me and put her hand on my shoulder.

  “I have an idea,” I repeated.

  “Why do you need his shirt?”

  I turned to her and reached out, taking her hand.

  “I have to do this. We can’t fight them. Trust me?”

  She held my eyes with hers, her gaze almost as strong as her grip. “Be careful.”

  This seemed to decide the kid. He stood up, pulled off his white t-shirt, and handed it to me.

  “No, dude,” said Luke behind me. “You can’t. He’ll slaughter us.”

  I ignored him and began to climb the barricade. My friend rushed over and grabbed me with his one good hand, pulling me back to the ground.

  “Dude, I won’t let you.”

  “I’m not surrendering, Luke,” I smiled. “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

  Luke sized me up.

  “All right, but you’re not going out there alone. I’ll come with you.” He crossed his arms like a stubborn child.

  “So, will I,” said Ben.

  “Me too,” said Paul.

  “Fine!” I said, before turning to Indigo. “But no one else. If this goes ass up, throw everything you have at them.”

  Indigo nodded. Brooke grabbed her hand supportively.

  I kissed my wife and began climbing over the barricade. Preoccupied, Luke followed me, even as Brooke moved to embrace him. She shrugged. “Be careful, Luke!” she called instead.

  He turned, walking backwards a few steps, and called, “I will. See you in a few minutes.”

  I hardly noticed any of this. I was too focused on the approaching Marauders army. I had finally reconciled the fact that that’s what it was. An army. Not a bunch of kids. Not a post-apocalyptic gang of misfits. It was a well-drilled army, led by a ruthless general.

  My idea had worked once before against another foe; I only hoped it worked again, this time against a more dangerous animal.

  34

  As I landed on the pavement on the other side of the barricade, the Marauders were close enough now that I could see individual figures with my naked eye. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, wondering if this was where my luck would finally run out. Holding the white t-shirt loosely in my left hand, I pulled my pistol out of my jeans with my right and began to walk towards them with Luke, Ben, and Paul fanned out behind me.

  I stared straight ahead, my gaze homing in on Ash’s face. When I could discern the features of his face, I stopped and held up my arms, so he could see the shirt and the gun. When I knew I had his attention, like a perp submitting to the cops, I carefully bent my knees and placed the gun on the street while keeping the shirt in the air.

  I looked around at my friends.

  “Put your guns on the ground like I did.”

  I began to wave the shirt slowly from side to side over my head.

  “Are you sure, Isaac?” asked a tight voice behind me.

  It was Luke. I knew he was serious; he never called me Isaac.

  “Trust me.”

  Famous last words.

  Based on the stories we had heard, I knew there was a possibility Ash would simply shoot us down in the street and have the tank roll right over our bodies. I just had to hope his curiosity was piqued enough to talk to us.

  It seemed to work. Ash stopped and slung one of the automatic weapons over his shoulder and thrust a clenched fist into the air, signaling his army to stop. While they didn’t exactly stop with military precision, the speed at which the foot soldiers followed his order was impressive. The response time of the tank? Not so much. For a brief, optimistic second, I thought it might actually run right over Ash. It didn’t. The tank rumbled on for a few feet before finally coming to a halt with a small, metallic screech, less than a foot behind their leader. He didn’t flinch. Just stood there with his fist held in the air like an exclamation mark.

  Finally, he lowered his arm. I felt a bead of sweat run down my neck as I waited to see what he would do. A smile is not what I expected. It was a big, shark-like grin and, even though I wasn’t close enough to see, I knew it didn’t reach his crazy blue eyes.

  “Anders!” he called, without taking his eyes from us.

  One of his soldiers broke from the ranks and ran forward. Still smiling, he turned. We couldn’t hear what was said, but after a few seconds Ash handed Anders his two weapons before turning back to us. His smile had faded to a grim line.

  Ash stretched his arms out to either side, his hands open. I nodded and lowered the shirt, my white flag. We began to walk towards each other. Luke and the others began to follow. I stopped, intending to send them back.

  “Let them come, Isaac Race!” called Ash.

  I shrugged.

  “If you say so!”

  He smiled again and sauntered towards us. I saw him sizing us up, one by one, his gaze resting on Luke longer than anyone else.

  We sto
pped about ten feet from one another. Ash was an even more intimidating sight close up. He had grown in the intervening years and, like Luke, had filled out with solid muscle. His sheer size wasn’t the only thing intimidating. Now that I could see his eyes, I almost wished I couldn’t. His pale blue eyes told me more than his previous actions had — he was insane. That made him more dangerous than anyone I had ever had to face, even the natural born killer in the Drake Mountain Facility, Mr. Ragg.

  “What can I do for you, Mr. Race?” he asked, loud enough for his words to carry to both of our forces.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “A proposition!?” he asked incredulously, still smiling.

  “Yes.”

  He laughed loudly.

  “All right, what’s your proposition?”

  I didn’t let his sarcasm or laughter get to me. I held his crazy stare. “I don’t want to lose any more of my people and I’m sure you don’t want to either. I propose you and I fight. Just us. If I win, your people leave. If you win, my people give you whatever food and weapons we have and we leave. No one else gets hurt.”

  His smile mocked me.

  “Well, that’s interesting. But, you see, I want to hurt your people. I have a counter-proposition. How about I kill you with my bare hands right here and then hurt every last one of your people? Of course, I will save Indigo and little Max for last.”

  Coming from his mouth, their names were like obscenities and I felt a stab of anger in my chest. Before I could respond, Luke took a step forward, only to be restrained by Ben and Paul.

  “You fucking piece of shit!” Luke spat, dragging the other two over the tarmac. “Let me go. I’ll fucking end this now.”

  Ash smiled. Luke’s rage somehow allowed me to bring my own under control. I wouldn’t be drawn into any rash moves.

  “Luke!” I yelled, turning partly to him. “Let me handle this.”

  Luke continued to struggle, shaking off Paul and confronting me with Ben still hanging onto him. I put my hand on his heaving chest.

  “Please,” I said.

  He looked at me, uncertain for a few moments and then relaxed and stood up straight. He allowed Ben to pull him a few feet away. When I was sure Luke was under control, I turned back to Ash.

  “So, you’re scared to fight me?”

  Ash burst out laughing, holding his belly as he shook. I didn’t think he found it quite as funny as he was implying.

  “Do you really think you can goad me like I’m a bully in the playground? No, my offer stands. I will kill you now. Then your big, angry friend there,” he nodded at Luke, before sweeping his arm theatrically around. “And then everyone you love, in that order.”

  “You know,” I said, my voice dismissive. “I knew when I found you in that closet you were just a scared little boy. Then I figured out why you hated the General so much. Danny told me how you would be called to his room in the middle of the night. You were his little bitch, weren’t you...?”

  The speed at which Ash rushed forward surprised me and his big hand around my throat choked the rest of the words from my mouth as he picked me up, and drove me down onto the hard surface of the road. Luckily, my shoulder took the bulk of the heavy impact. It hurt a lot, but faded to mere background noise as his grip on my throat tightened.

  His face was a pale grimace of crazed anger, the tattooed words stark against the pale skin around them. ‘KILL!’ on his cheekbone seemed to jump out at me as my vision swam.

  I reached up and tried desperately to peel his fingers from my throat but failed. Tiny black motes began to swarm across my vision.

  I could hear shouting, but it was dull and seemed to come from a long way away.

  It was then that Luke, Paul, and Ben rushed into my field of fading vision. I was buffeted as they grabbed hold of Ash, and began to rain blows upon him. It was to no avail. His grip was unrelenting and it wasn’t until Luke clamped his good hand over Ash’s forehead and jerked his head back that I felt some relief. Slowly, the grip on my throat eased and I drew deep breaths as my vision began to clear. The air that filled my lungs was the sweetest I had ever breathed.

  Ash didn’t release his grip entirely, even if it appeared his immediate situation was hopeless. Luke’s hook was pressed firmly against his vulnerable throat and it was pretty clear that one movement from him would open him like a can of tomatoes.

  As insurance, Ben, his back to me and facing the Marauders army, had his pistol pointed at their leader’s head in a clear warning.

  “Let go or I’ll rip your throat out,” Luke said, through gritted teeth.

  Ash didn’t let go. Not right away. He appeared to be weighing his chances if he were to pursue his chosen course of action. Suddenly, his eyes weren’t so crazy, just calculating. It wasn’t until Luke pressed his hook even harder, the sharp point drawing blood, that Ash released me completely and put his hands up in surrender.

  “Call your men off,” Luke said, still pressing home his hook.

  I willed him not to do it. I had the feeling if we killed Ash right then and there, the rest would still attack. We needed to avoid an all-out battle.

  “Get back, everybody!” he called to his men and then looked down at me. “I’ve changed my mind. I really would like to kill you nice and slowly. I accept your challenge.”

  He jumped to his feet and brushed himself off when Luke let him go and stepped away. Paul reached out a hand and helped pull me to my feet. Ash regarded me with a small, dangerous smile. There were a bunch of his people just behind him, still with hands on their guns and looking tense.

  “So, how do you want to do this?” he asked me.

  My shoulder throbbed, and my throat was a shriek of bruised pain. The last thing I felt like doing was fighting. Unfortunately, I had no choice.

  “You and me, here, in five minutes,” I rasped. “If I win, your people turn around and leave and if —”

  “If I win, I kill every last one of your people ... starting with him,” he said, pointing at Luke. “And finishing with your wife ... after I kill your son in front of her eyes and fuck her, that is.”

  What he said revolted me ... enraged me ... and even though I knew he meant it, right at that moment, his statement was designed to provoke a reaction and keep me off balance. I forced myself not to react.

  “I’ll just have to make sure you don’t win then,” I said calmly.

  His mouth straightened into a hard line.

  “Five minutes,” he said, menacingly. “I suggest you say your goodbyes.”

  He turned on his heel and went back to his men. I felt a little sick. Doubt and apprehension gnawed at my guts. The stakes were high and the chips on the table were my wife and son and everyone else I cared for. It had been over five years since my battle to the death with Ragg and I had been lucky to escape that with the help of my friends.

  Back then I was battle hardened by the ordeals of the six months leading up to my fight with Ragg. Now I was soft. I hadn’t needed to fight since; in fact, I hadn’t even practiced my moves since our first year in the Valley. Life had gotten in the way.

  “Thanks for saving my ass back there,” I said to Luke, Paul, and Ben as we picked up our weapons.

  They just nodded. Luke look lost, deep in thought.

  A concerned Indigo and Brooke were waiting for us when we got back over the barricade. Indigo fell into my arms.

  “Are you okay? What did you say to him? Are they going?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “What then? What made him attack you?”

  “I challenged him to a fight to the death. If I win, the rest of them will leave.”

  “No! You can’t, Isaac!” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “He’s a psycho.”

  “What choice do I have?” I asked, my own voice cracking and not only from the bruising of my throat. I took her hand. “If I don’t try, we’ll all be slaughtered anyway.”

  “Let me fight him,” said Luke.

  Brooke
, leaning against him, looked up sharply.

  “No!” said Brooke and I at the same time.

  “Why not? I’m as big as him and I’m fit and ready. No offence, dude, but you’re not as fighting fit as you used to be.”

  His words stung a little and awakened a little defiance in me. I was well aware of my own shortcomings but didn’t like hearing them from someone else.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “I just need you to lead the attack on them if this doesn’t go as planned.”

  Brooke’s hand on his lowered arm seemed to decide the matter. He looked down at her and nodded.

  “Fine, but don’t take any chances. Kill the fucker as soon as you get the chance.”

  “I plan to. I need to go.”

  “I’m coming this time,” said Indigo.

  Try as I might, I couldn’t dissuade her. In the end, Brooke, Ben, Paul, and Luke followed me over the barricade and out into the middle of the road. When he spotted us, Ash sauntered forward with a smile on his face and similar number of men.

  I pulled off my t-shirt as he got close and threw it to Indigo. While I wasn’t fat — no one was fat in the After Days — I wasn’t exactly well muscled. And truth be told, I felt a little inadequate as I faced him. When he stopped, he looked me up and down, then laughed, before looking over at Indigo.

  “Really? You’re into him? I think you need some of this,” he said, and grabbed his crotch through his jeans.

  “Fuck you, psycho. He’s ten times the man you are.”

  Ash made an amused face and nodded.

  “We’ll see,” he said, and opened his arms as he looked back at me.

  “Ready? I want this over quick. Indigo and I have some business to take care of.”

  “In a second. Have you given the order about turning back if I win?”

  He rolled his eyes and turned to his men, cupping his hands around his mouth.

  “If I happen to trip, bump my head and kill myself when I’m fighting this guy,” he called. “I want you all to turn around and head back home. Do not attack. Is that clear?”

  There was a chorus of yes sirs and he turned back to me.

  “Satisfied?” he asked, running his eyes over Indigo before settling on Brooke and licking his top lip suggestively. “You don’t need to bother giving your people any orders. I’ll take care of ... things ... myself, after you’re dead on the road.”