by A J Donovan
The beast shudders and then grows still.
“You did it,” Cole says softly, almost as if he doesn’t believe it.
I don’t believe it either.
“What did you do?” I turn around. The driver, the leader of the group, he is watching me, not the beast, and his eyes are wide.
“I used the air in its lungs,” I reply. “The beast’s inside wasn’t protected as well as the outside.”
“Clever,” he says. “It looks like your beast won its battle as well.”
I look around and a smile spreads across my face when I see him. “Rex!”
Rex looks up from the dead monster in front of him when he hears me. He barks proudly. He trots back to us, obviously pleased with himself, and sits down beside me. There are a few cuts and wounds on his armoured skin but I can already see them healing themselves.
The leader of the group steps closer to the beast I tore apart from the inside and then looks at me.
“Congratulations,” he says. “I don’t even know your name, but you just joined the military.”
Chapter 17 – Molly
Jake
I fade in and out of consciousness for a long time. My body is stiff, the way it feels after you sleep in one place for too long. Diana is there most of the time, offering me water and food. Sometimes it’s Leo, sometimes it’s Betty, but the one face that stands out to me the most is Diana. I drink the water like I haven’t drank anything in weeks. Something in my mind tells me I need it. The water is a necessary part of whatever is happening inside me.
I hover in that place between awake and asleep, between dreams and reality, while a maelstrom of change takes place in my body. My ice is flowing and twisting and changing. I wonder if my powers are growing, like they were unlocked by my fight with the beast. Betty said something about this. I think it was important, but I can’t focus enough to remember what she said.
Sometimes I’m more lucid and I even speak to Diana and the others, but other times I find myself asking them to cook me burgers and steak. They tell me no and I start pleading, begging them to help me. I don’t ask for help with the ice or the changes inside me or the threat of beasts attacking us while I sleep or the constant fear for Kim. I ask for steak.
***
I hear a gunshot.
For the first time in a long time, my ears hear something and my mind notices. I grasp onto the sensation and hone in on the sounds around me. The gunshot has faded but I can hear a heartbeat near to me. It must be Diana. A clatter as metal hits metal makes me flinch. It’s so loud compared to her heartbeat and the breathing of the people around us. Then I hear a thud, like a body hitting the ground. The walker she just killed.
I am almost afraid to open my eyes and return to the world. I keep listening, expanding my senses farther from us. There are dogs barking in the distance. They’re far away, so we don’t need to worry about attracting unwelcome attention to us. The thought of dogs makes me wonder where their owners are. The apocalypse is our life now, not just a sudden horrible event, like it was at the start.
I hope the dogs are okay.
“Jake, are you awake?”
Diana.
There is movement nearby and I almost jerk away from it but it’s just her hand. She brushes hair off my forehead.
My eyes snap open and reality comes back to me like a splash of cold water. I grab her hand. “Is everything okay? What happened? How long was I asleep?”
Diana laughs and she’s so calm and happy that I instantly relax. I realise I’m literally lying with my head in her lap. I sit up quickly and clear my throat.
“What’s happening?”
“Nothing,” she says. “Absolutely nothing. I’m so glad you woke up.”
Tendrils of guilt twist in my stomach. “I’m fine. Were you worried?”
“No! Of course not,” she laughs, but her words are far too fast.
“Where is everyone?”
The only person with us is Sam, a younger member of the group. He’s not one of Reggie’s. I think his brother or father worked for Reggie, before the outbreak, and Sam tagged along when the world turned to chaos.
Diana says nothing but her expression gives her away.
“What is it?”
She sighs. “The others didn’t think that it was safe to be near you until you woke up. Betty mentioned that you might act strangely for a while, like sleeping for days or experiencing mood swings.” She hesitates. “People heard what she said and immediately decided that you might be dangerous. We’ve been riding separately since you fell asleep.”
“And you decided that sitting right beside me was the smartest move?” I get up and move across the jeep. It’s not much space, but it’s better than nothing. “I could’ve hurt you, Diana! Don’t you think at all?”
“Of course I think!” Diana snaps. She glances at Sam to see if he’s listening.
I’m sure he is but he’s not making a big deal out of it. In all fairness, it’s not like he can give us some space. He’s driving the vehicle.
“I thought about it and I decided that I don’t care. You needed me, Jake. You were out cold for almost a day and you needed someone to take care of you.”
“You put yourself in danger!”
“That was my choice!”
Diana is livid and her anger matches my own.
“No one else is here,” I say quietly. “There are plenty of people in this group who care about me, and none of them were reckless enough to stay in an enclosed space with a potential time bomb.”
“Plenty of people?” Diana laughs bitterly. “Jake, if you think these people care about you then you’re wrong. Yes, Leo cares about you. Betty too, I think. But everyone else? They don’t care about you. They just want to use you because you have powers and you can protect them. They will abandon you the moment it suits them.”
I don’t know what to say to that. “Where’s Leo?”
“He’s with Eliza. They’re looking at the pictures they took of your frozen beast. Leo is concerned about you, obviously, but he doesn’t have time like I do. I had the time to look after you while you slept-”
My anger flares. “And if I froze you in my sleep? What then?”
Her response is immediate and calm. “Then we would all keep going. People will survive without me, Jake. They need you. They don’t need me.”
“I need you.”
Diana stares at me.
“I mean- I just... It doesn’t matter.”
Silence falls between us, and I look out at the street because I can’t meet her eyes right now. We’re in another suburb, I think. The buildings are mostly houses.
“Where are we, Sam?”
Sam coughs. “About three days’ drive north of where you fought the beast.” He pauses for a moment. “I’m glad you’re finally awake.”
“Thanks.”
He grins at me over his shoulder, white teeth contrasting sharply against his dark skin. “My parents were starting to get really worried. The old man started talking about you like you were already dead, saying that we had lost a good man. I can’t wait to tell him you’re back.”
That brings a genuine smile to my face. I don’t know his father well but the man has always been nice to me.
“I don’t mean you any offence by this, but you waking up has also made me about twenty bucks richer.”
I grin. “I’m glad I could help.” At least Sam has found a way to enjoy himself despite the end of the world.
Sudden screaming cuts off our conversation. The others react too, so I know I’m not the only one who can hear it. Another scream pierces the air. It’s a woman and she’s terrified. I’m on my feet before I can even think about it.
Diana grabs my arm. “You’re going to get yourself killed if you keep playing the hero, Jake!”
I ignore her and jump over the side of the Jeep. Diana is cursing loudly behind me but I run towards the noise anyway. We can argue about this later. I hit the ground running and I can f
eel power coursing through my veins. It wants me to release it. It wants to get out. It’s like it has a mind of its own and it is urging me to use it.
There’s another panicked scream but this one’s shorter, like it got cut off. Is she dead? Or did someone shut her up to hide from the walkers?
I get into sight of the building. There are corpses everywhere. Men and women and some children fill the street, at least a few dozen of them. They’re all heading for exactly the same place as me.
Cold power pulses in my clenched fists. It feels different somehow. I slip around the biters, getting closer to the door of the restaurant. The huge front windows are no good for keeping out walkers and even as I reach them the infected break through.
The power in my hands pulses again, stronger now, and I can tell it wants to be freed. It’s impatient and eager. I throw my arm towards the thickest cluster of them and open my hand and an explosion of ice hits them like a tidal wave.
The wave of white contrasts with the background of dirty bodies and dusty ground. Then it makes contact. It lifts them off their feet and throws them through the air like rag dolls. Pieces of solid ice tear through them, ripping and slicing their clothes and skin. I stare at the devastation and wonder if it would have been this easy a few days ago. Something has definitely changed.
I reach inside myself for more power and it reacts to me eagerly, swirling up and overflowing in its haste to give me what I want. I crouch down and place my hand against the ground. The cold power thrashes inside me and I release it. It shoots across the ground in every direction, covering the ground for almost twenty feet around me.
I pull back when the ice nears Diana, who is staring at me with wide eyes. The ice stops spreading but I keep pouring power through my hand. The ice starts spreading over the legs of the walkers that are now trapped on the icy surface. It continues up until I feel it enter their brains.
A gunshot cracks through the street and I look at Diana. She took out a walker that was slightly out of range of my ice but when she looks back at me again, her eyes are still as wide as before. We look around at the frozen wasteland, with me standing in the centre. The walkers are like statues. There are so many of them, some frozen in the middle of trying to walk, some reaching out with whatever limbs they have left, but all of their mouths are open.
“I’ll go inside,” I say. “Will you stand guard?”
She nods. “Good luck.”
She doesn’t argue with me about putting myself in danger again. I wonder if she’s decided it’s not the right time to discuss it, or if seeing me use my ice has changed her mind.
I push open the restaurant door slowly, scanning every area in my line of sight and taking note of the biters on the floor. They’re the same ones that broke through the windows just now. Someone dealt with them since then. One of the walkers was decapitated and I watch the head for a moment. It’s still biting at the air, still hungry and still dangerous.
I don’t see anyone else here. Maybe they found another way out.
A floorboard creaks and grabs my attention. I drop into a crouch and move towards the noise. I move around a corner and find a bathroom door slightly ajar. As I get closer my ears home in on the sound of breathing and whispering.
I debate my options for a second before deciding to announce myself.
“Hey,” I call. Both the breathing and whispering stops. “Do you need help? I don’t mean any harm. I’m with a group. We can help you, if you’re injured or lost.”
There’s some more whispering but I can’t make out the words.
“We have a gun so if you try anything, we’ll shoot you.” She sounds young, younger than I was expecting.
The bathroom door opens slowly. I can hear Diana’s boots crunch on the ground outside, and further away I can hear voices. Our group must have sent people over.
The first one to come out is the girl who spoke. She’s holding a pocketknife in one hand and a pistol in the other. “You on your own?” she demands.
“Right now, but my group is just outside. They’ll be here soon.”
The girl’s face twists into a snarl. I scramble to figure out what I said wrong. “We don’t need help. Get out of our way and we won’t make any trouble for you. Try and stop us, and you can expect to bite a bullet.”
I frown. “Okay, you can go if you want. But we have food and supplies-”
“No!” she yells. “We don’t need you. Just leave. Get out of here.”
She is brave, I’ll give her that. “You need weapons, at the very least. There were a lot more walkers outside and we dealt with them. If we weren’t here, do you think you could have taken them all?”
She says nothing.
“What’s your name?”
She bares her teeth at me and I take a step back. She looks ready to use the knife or the pistol and I don’t want to hurt her if she tries to attack.
There are footsteps behind me and the girl’s eyes flick to Diana when she walks in. “Jake, they clearly don’t want our help. Let’s go. We’ve been here too long.”
“A girl?” the girl asks. As soon as she says it, there’s a gasp from behind her and someone shoves past her and stumbles into the restaurant.
“Oh my goodness! Molly, it’s okay, they’re not like the last ones. She looks normal!” This girl is at least a few years older than Molly. She could be an adult already. I glance back at Molly curiously, wondering what’s so special about her that has put her in charge of people older than her.
Diana’s eyes narrow. “Who are you?”
Molly, the tough one with the knife and the gun, speaks to Diana, but her eyes never leave me. “How many are in your group?”
“Maybe thirty,” Diana says vaguely.
A third member of their group comes out of the bathroom reluctantly. She sticks to the wall and when she notices me watching her she pales and starts trembling. I return my gaze to Molly.
“We can give you food and supplies,” I say. I don’t break eye contact with Molly, trying to convey my good intentions. They clearly don’t trust me, but my conscience won’t let me leave them here without at least trying to help.
Molly watches me steadily.
“You can meet the other people travelling with us. They’re mostly families but we have enough guns to keep everyone safe. We’ve only lost a few people since we left the city.”
The older two look like they’re more than ready to accept my offer but Molly is more cautious.
“If you want to leave afterwards, we won’t stop you.”
Finally, Molly nods. She lowers her weapons. “Deal. But we stick together, you don’t separate us for any reason. If anything bad happens, we’re out. And don’t underestimate me, I killed every biter in this room and I’ll do the same to you if you try anything.”
“Fair enough.”
***
Chapter 18 - Taking Care of Business
Kim
It’s been two days since I met Cole and the other soldiers. We hightailed it out of the town, since Rex was acting weird and I decided he could smell other beasts. We had no reason to stay there anyway, right?
As much as I try to ignore it, the feeling that I’m wrong won’t go away. I push away the nagging thoughts at the back of my mind that I’m leaving something important behind.
I don’t really have a strong attachment to these soldiers, so I could go back. I could leave at any moment and turn back and return to that empty town because of some instinct I don’t understand. They couldn’t stop me even if they wanted to, and I know that they wouldn’t try. Somehow, in a world of death and chaos and evil, these three men are trying to do good.
Their good intentions are part of the reason I chose to stay with them. They’re trying to change the world for the better, to help the people they meet. I have all of this power and this could be a way to find forgiveness for all the things I’ve done. This could be my redemption.
We’re heading towards an army base. I’ve spent most of th
e last two days using my powers to toss sticks for Rex to fetch. He runs alongside us as the Jeep crunches across the cracked and broken ground. He tried to climb up beside me on the first day but he’s way too big to fit on the back of the jeep.
The other two soldiers are Captain Jacob Knight and Will. Will refused to tell me his last name and I didn’t press him for it. Cole smirked when it came up, so I’m guessing that it’s embarrassing for some reason. I don’t care, I don’t need to know his name. For all I know, they could have all given me fake names. It doesn’t matter.
Until I saw the captain joking around with Will and Cole, I was convinced he wasn’t even human. He was almost robotic in all his interactions with me, but now I think I know why. He hasn’t shown it but I have a feeling he might be scared of me. It would make sense, he knows that I could kill them all with a flick of my fingers. If I’m right, he’s doing a phenomenal job of hiding it.
“We’ll be at Camp Turk in less than half a day,” Will tells me. “He’s back,” he says, nodding at Rex.
Rex is fast, faster than I realised, so he slows down to match our speed. Sometimes he goes off by himself to hunt down food and then returns a few hours later. I turn to where Will is looking and see Rex running towards us. He’s been gone for hours and relief fills me when I see him. I know he’s safe, he’s a huge, armoured beast with claws that could cut through stone, but I can’t worrying about him.
Cole is probably the friendliest, most charismatic man I’ve ever met. He also likes me and it’s obvious that he has romantic intentions. Will keeps making jokes about his unrequited attempts to flirt with me, but Cole doesn’t seem to care. I made a point to talk to Cole soon after he first showed his interest in me, and I told him that I wasn’t interested, but he hasn’t given up.
I still haven’t asked about the rest of their group, the other men I saw with them before I got attacked in that cafe. There were far more of them at that point and now there are only three. Cole saw me less than twenty feet away from their group, so he has to know I saw the rest of their group, but he hasn’t mentioned it. None of them have mentioned it. They could have deserted, or worse, but it’s none of my business.
