“No, really,” he prodded. “How?”
Lara shook her head. “Never mind. You’ll just get mad at me.”
“Mad?” Now Daren really wanted to know. “Why would I be mad?”
“Just drop it, okay?” She stopped the vehicle by leaning back. “You’re alive, breathing and mostly uninjured, so just let it go.”
Daren kept asking her but she seemed to tune him out. She pulled out the gray robe and placed it over herself. She grasped the hood, pulled it over her head, and adjusted it until it concealed her face.
“All right,” she said. “Step under the robe and do everything like I told you to.”
“So you’re not telling me how you transported me, huh?”
“Are we doing this or not?”
“Okay! Okay!”
Daren went under the robe.
It was like crawling into a dark, tiny claustrophobic tent…with a girl in it. Daren swallowed hard as he stepped on the platform. He made sure his feet were in the proper position beside hers and carefully slipped his hands around her waist.
“Watch it mister,” Lara said pertly. “Don’t let your hands go wandering off where they shouldn’t be.”
He felt his mouth go dry. “Understood.”
“I want you to hold on tight and stick close to me. Lean when and where I lean so we don’t wobble too much…”
He couldn’t hear much after that. All he could think about was how warm and soft she felt, how good her hair smelled, how he wanted to bury his face in it. Next thing he knew they were on their way through the forest. He was literally in the dark as the robe flapped around him. He trusted that she had a good view as she peeked out the cowl.
The movement was unsettling—especially when it went over the bumps. He’d never been on a vehicle in his life. He remembered there was a time when horses were still around to pull carts. But they were all dead by the time he turned six.
He looked down for a moment. “I think the wheels are visible,” he whispered near her ear. “The hem is a few inches too high.”
“It can’t be helped,” Lara replied. “I’ll just make sure we don’t get too close for anyone to notice.”
They rolled along in silence for several minutes—until both of them heard a cry of alarm. Lara slowed the vehicle down to a crawl.
“Why are you slowing down?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low.
“There are several people up ahead. If I go too fast it might make the wheels more obvious.”
“What do they look like?”
“Like people.”
“Could you at least try to describe them?”
“Well, there’s a bearded bald guy with scars on his face and his toothless girlfriend has half her head shaved.”
“Oh shit!” Daren exclaimed. “We’re screwed.”
“Friends of yours?”
“I threw dirt in baldy’s face. And I’m the reason why semi-baldy lost her teeth.”
“You need to work on your people skills.”
“Duly noted,” Daren retorted. “What are they doing?”
“I don’t like this.” Fear crept into Lara’s voice. “They’re not reacting like people normally do. They’re not running away.”
“It’s our wheels. They can see them.”
“I should light more glowsticks.” He felt Lara reach for her pockets. “Maybe we’ll look more ghostly that way.”
Daren heard boots breaking twigs from somewhere behind. Someone was sneaking up on them. He saw the distant flicker of a torch from underneath the robe.
“Let’s go, dammit!”
“Not yet,” said Lara. “We might still be able to pull this off if we keep calm.”
There was a whizzing noise. Daren knew what it was the moment he heard it. His fears were confirmed when he heard an arrow hit the ground right beside them. A second whizz pierced the air and another arrow landed nearby.
“They’re shooting at us!”
“I am aware,” Lara snapped at him. “But the fact that they haven’t charged at us means they’re still scared.”
“Obviously not scared enough to avoid sticking an arrow in us.”
Daren heard something rip. He closed his eyes and prayed it wasn’t what he thought it was. But the shift in the backpack’s weight told him all he needed to know. If he removed his arms from Lara’s waist to fix the problem he’d lose his balance and their cover would be blown. He felt Lara flinch as she registered the sound.
“What was that?” she asked.
“My shoulder strap. I think it’s coming off.”
“No.” Lara’s voice shook. “Not now.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here, Lara.” He squeezed her tighter.
As the vehicle went faster, Daren heard shouts all around him. He heard Bryson give orders to the others. The sound of running feet got closer. Lara was going over uneven ground, and he felt jostled as she tried to navigate at a higher speed.
“Light it!” Bryson’s voice rang out clearly.
“Oh no!” Lara shouted.
“What’s wrong? What’s ha—”
A flaming arrow shot through the back hem. The robe instantly caught fire and threatened to engulf both of them. Lara began to scream. Daren couldn’t tell if it was from pain or terror. He raised his leg, unsheathed the hunting knife and slashed through the robe. The flaming portion fell to the ground and left their back completely exposed.
Lara, in her panic, steered the vehicle into a ditch. The movement pitched them over, and they ended up sprawling in the dirt. The backpack tore away and its contents scattered all over the forest floor. Daren got up and looked around to find Lara. She was a few feet away and face down on the ground.
“Lara!” Daren grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up. “Are you hurt? Did you get burned?”
Lara’s face and hair were covered in dirt. She coughed and spat some out of her mouth.
“I’m fine.” She held on to Daren as she got on her feet. “Just a bit shaken up.”
Angry shouts were headed their way. The glow of torches was getting brighter against the surrounding trees. Daren looked around at the food strewn about. He had to at least take home something. He picked up a few cans and shoved them in his coat pocket.
Daren looked at Lara as she pulled up the wheeled platform.
“I think it’s broken,” she said.
“Then let’s run!”
Daren grabbed her arm and dragged her through the trees. He kept a strong grip on her as they both hurtled through the woods, determined not to lose sight of her no matter what. He kept on for a full minute before he heard Lara’s protests.
“Oww!” she squealed. “You’re hurting me. I can run fine on my own.”
Daren reluctantly let go of her arm.
“Sorry,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you were with me, that’s all.”
“That’s really sweet, but I can manage.”
There was a loud thud just above them. Both of them ducked and looked up. An arrow protruded from the bark of the tree. They turned to see a man about twenty yards away reloading his crossbow.
“Go! Go! Go!” Daren shouted as they both scrambled away.
“I don’t think we should worry too much.” Lara avoided some low hanging branches. “He’s been a pretty lousy shot.”
Daren dodged from side to side as he ran. “He’ll keep at it and get lucky.”
“My, aren’t we upbeat tonight,” huffed Lara, keeping pace with him.
At that point they had run almost five minutes at top speed, and the exertion was starting to wear on them. Once or twice they nearly tripped over a few rocks. Daren heard Lara gasping for breath. He heard her falling farther and farther behind. Soon he had to stop and run back to where she stood. He found her beside a large tree. She leaned her back on the trunk and closed her eyes. Her chest heaved with every breath.
“I can’t do this, Daren.” She wiped the sweat off her forehead. “I’m not fit enough. I�
��ve been riding that damned thing too long.”
“You have to.” He grabbed her arm. “You have any idea what they’ll do if they catch us?”
“Okay…okay…I’ll try.”
They were on the move again but at a much slower pace. His heart fell when he noticed she was practically hobbling. Daren had to drape her arm over his neck as he held her rib cage to support her.
“Perfect excuse to cop a feel, huh?” she quipped.
“Yeah, now that you mention it.”
The battle cries of the raiders came surging back again. Whatever ground they gained earlier was being lost with every passing second. There was no way he could support Lara and outrun them. And he was certain she knew that, too.
“We’ll never get away at this pace, you know.” Lara looked over her shoulder.
Daren guided her forward. “Look who’s upbeat now.”
“I’m serious,” she said. “I don’t want to hold you back.”
“Are you even listening to yourself? There’s no way I’m leaving you with those savages!”
A whizz passed through the air again. A sharp blow struck him in his left calf. Intense pain radiated from his wound. He yelped in agony as he stumbled to the ground. Lara collapsed along with him.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice sounded frantic.
“My leg!” Daren clutched his calf. He felt the distinct shape of an arrowhead in his skin.
Lara blanched and covered her mouth when she saw his injury. He grasped the shaft and clenched his jaw. He screamed through his teeth as he wrenched out the arrow from his leg.
She looked frightened. “Can you get up?”
“I think so.”
He attempted to stand but howled when he tried to stand on his injured leg. He placed his hand on a tree and leaned on it for support while he lifted his foot.
“If we weren’t screwed before…”
Lara’s eyes welled up. “I told you I was holding you back.”
He didn’t tell her to run. There was no point. Moments later, they were surrounded by over a dozen raiders. Maces, axes, and scythes glinted in the torchlight. Daren looked at the circular patterns of burn scars on their arms, chests and faces. If they were so eager to inflict agony on themselves, there was no telling what they’d do to Lara and him.
Molar Woman, who now had mostly molars remaining in her mouth, stepped forward and grabbed Daren’s face. Her fingers pressed his cheeks together causing his lips to pucker up.
“I’m going to have a lot of fun with you.” She hissed through the wide gap where her front teeth had been.
She raised her knife to his face and scraped the tip slowly across his cheek. Daren winced at the cold touch of the blade. Bryson came up from behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“There’ll be time enough for that, Magda,” he said. “Right now I need to know”—he reached into Daren’s coat pocket and pulled out a can—“where these young ones came across these goods.”
“We just found them lying in the forest,” Daren replied. “Like I told you before.”
The thin line of Bryson’s lips curved up into a grin. He pulled his arm back and smashed his fist into Daren’s face. Lara cried out. Daren held the tree for support, feeling blood tickle the lining of his nostrils.
“That was for throwing dust in my eyes.” Bryson’s voice remained calm. “Now someone tell me where you found the food or—”
“We bought them from a trader in the West Valley,” Lara spoke up quickly. “We have no idea where he gets it.”
Bryson rotated his head to look at her. He walked over to her while sweeping his gaze from her head to her feet. Daren did not like the way his eyes lingered on certain areas. Considering the state of the raider women, he could only wonder how long Bryson could restrain himself.
“You see, I know you’re lying.” He stroked the braids on his beard. “We’ve already robbed and killed every trader for miles around.”
Bryson lifted a lock of Lara’s hair. He gazed at it as he rubbed it in his fingers. Her lower lip quivered as she watched him.
“Come to think of it, we’ve also managed to kill or co-opt all the other raider clans.” Bryson lifted his eyes to ogle her. “Annihilation of the competition is the best solution.”
Daren had to deflect Bryson’s attention back to him. He could almost read the thoughts running through Bryson’s shiny dome as his eyes raked all over her.
“I’ll lead you to the food storage,” Daren said. “This time I’ll promise to take you to the right place.”
“Cross your heart?” Bryson raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me if I’m less inclined to believe you now.”
He turned back to Lara and took her chin with his thumb and forefinger. She grimaced and turned away from him. Daren tried to lunge, but Magda the Molar Woman held a scythe to his throat.
“This young lady, if I’m not mistaken, definitely knows where the food is.” Bryson eyed Lara. “She’s been playing the Angel of Death to ferry goods from one place to another unmolested.”
Lara looked away from Bryson, her green eyes staring up to avoid his gaze. She shivered slightly as she tried to maintain her composure.
“I must say you’ve done a brilliant job frightening every superstitious simpleton you’ve come across.” Bryson sounded impressed. “You have to tell me where you acquired that wonderful wheeled device.”
Lara didn’t say anything. She kept silently defiant as she stood firmly in place.
“You’ve got steel, my girl.” Bryson bared his fanglike teeth. “I’ll certainly enjoy getting to know you.”
Daren felt rage course through him. “Every single one of you is going to be sorry. My village knows I’m missing, and they’ve sent a search party looking for me. They’re damned good fighters, too.”
Bryson walked back over to Daren, his thick eyebrows merging into one as he glared into his eyes. Daren swallowed as he felt his heart race. At least, Bryson was leaving Lara alone.
“Those were your people?”
Daren’s blood ran cold. “You’ve seen them?”
“Seen them?” Bryson gnashed his teeth together. “They’re the reason half of my clan is gone.”
Daren felt worried. They obviously had a bitter skirmish with the raiders. Who came on the search party? “Was there a woman wearing an eye patch?”
“A relative of yours?” Bryson rubbed his chin. “Rather ferocious, I must say. She single handedly took down five of my people.”
“What happened to her?”
“I would like to say dismembered.” Bryson betrayed some disappointment. “But she managed to get away and so did a few others. Although we didn’t come from the battle empty-handed.”
Bryson nodded to one of his men, who came forward with a sack. He took it, reached inside, and tossed an object on the ground. It bounced and rolled to a stop at Lara’s feet. She screamed when she saw a severed head staring up at her. Its red hair and stubble were unmistakable.
“Logan.” Daren’s voice turned hoarse.
“Oh, was that his name?” Bryson asked. “He loved knives. Went into battle throwing knives. And then he ran out of knives.”
A round of chuckles erupted from the others.
Bryson stepped towards Lara and kicked Logan’s head. It soared in a high arc over some shrubs. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, it’s time to get down to business.”
He grabbed a fistful of Lara’s hair and yanked her head back. She shrieked in pain. Daren tried to move towards her but Magda held him and pressed her scythe against his chest. Bryson brought Lara’s face close to his as she struggled against his grip.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Bryson said, breathing on her. “I’ll leave you undamaged for recreation later. But your boyfriend here is a different matter.” Keeping a tight grip on her hair, he made her face Daren. “If you do not tell me what I want to know, I will personally ensure his last words will be used to beg for his death.”
Tear
s streamed down her face as sobs racked her body. While Daren’s heart went out to her, he began to feel real terror at Bryson’s threat.
“Perhaps a little demonstration?” Bryson said. He nodded to Magda who in turn signaled two other raiders. They came over and held Daren’s arms to keep them in place. Daren strained against his captors but all he could manage was a feeble writhing.
Magda took an arrow, red hot from being placed on a flame, and pressed the flat end on Daren’s wound.
“Aiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!”
Blinding, unbearable agony threatened to shatter Daren’s mind. He smelled the sickening odor of burning flesh. Horror engulfed him when he realized it was his own.
“Stop it! Stop it!” Lara screamed. “Please stop! I’ll show you where it is!”
On a signal from Bryson, Magda pulled away the arrowhead. Daren sank to his knees and wiped away the tears of pain and terror from his eyes. He hated himself for breaking down in front of them.
“Technically, that wasn’t even torture.” Bryson pushed Lara’s head down, causing her to stumble on the ground. “I was just helping to stave off infection.”
⊕ ⊕ ⊕
LARA LED THE WAY DOWN the concrete stairs as the entire raiding clan followed her to the bunker. Daren hopped along with a makeshift crutch. The searing pain in his leg was unrelenting, and he grimaced with every step he took. Soon they were in the hallway of the bunker facing the cellar door.
“This place is very well constructed.” Bryson looked around. “We could definitely use this as a base.”
“Glad you approve,” Daren mumbled.
Lara walked over to the cellar door and turned the wheel. She opened the door, stepped inside, and switched on the ceiling lamps. The raiders were startled by the sudden appearance of light.
“Witchcraft!” someone in the back yelled.
“Quiet!” Bryson ordered. He moved over to the entrance of the cellar and peeked inside.
“Well?” Lara asked. “Is all that enough for you?”
“Astonishing!” Bryson gaped in wonder. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life!”
The clan leader stepped inside while Lara came out into the hallway. The others pressed forward to get a peek. Someone shoved Daren aside, which made him crash into the wall. Lara rushed over to help him up.
The Cellar: A Post-Apocalyptic Novella Page 6
