The Apocalypse Fugitives

by Peter Meredith

  "It don't," the man who had first accosted Neil replied.

  "That's where you're wrong. A baby does count," Neil insisted. "They're more valuable than you realize."

  "Valuable to who? Maybe to bitches, but not to us. Now drop the baby or I'll shoot it right here, right now."

  "You won't," Sadie said, holding Eve closer. In the dark, her skin appeared alabaster and her eyes like coal. She stood as tall as she could and her courage was a force. She looked ready to defend the baby with her life. "If you do, you'll probably hit me too and that would make me less valuable. You can't sell a girl that's bleeding, right?"

  The raider who had threatened Eve wasn't impressed with her bravery. He shoved Neil aside and stepped closer to Sadie, saying, "Then I'll rip it out of your hands and stomp it into the dirt."

  As he reached for the baby Neil jumped back between them and found himself brought up short by the barrel of a gun which was pressed against his cheek; it smelled like it had been frequently shot, but rarely cleaned. He ignored it, knowing that she would pit her raw courage against their guns if he didn't convince her otherwise.

  "We have to leave her. Put her up in that tree. It'll be alright...remember what you said about survival of the cutest? Remember the survival of the smartest?" he asked, hoping she'd realize he was talking about Jillybean.

  They locked eyes. Sadie shook her head slightly. "We don't have a choice," Neil said, pinning the life of a baby on a seven-year-old girl who had left many hours before. There had been no sign or word from Jillybean in all that time and yet Neil, without any other choice, gambled Eve's life on her.

  Sadie's bravery and defiance wilted as she realized they were out of options. She went to the tree and hung Eve from the highest bough she could reach. One of the raiders smirked and said, "That's gonna be like a zombie piñata."

  "Let's go," Neil said, as if he was in charge. He ignored the raiders and climbed into the back of the nearest Humvee; it was strewn with trash and stunk of rotting food. He wished to leave as soon as possible; staying would accomplish nothing except to attract zombies.

  Sadie was ushered to the next vehicle in line as someone went to Captain Grey's Humvee and started it. Neil wondered what they would think of Sarah in the very back. Would they think he was some sort of murderer? If so he figured it wouldn't be all bad, murder was probably a resume enhancer with the raiders.

  "So, where are we off to?" Neil asked. There were three men in the vehicle with him. The man next to him in the back had the name Walker written in marker on his BDU blouse.

  "To see the big boss," Walker answered. "He'll decide what's going to happen to you my little friend."

  In the front seat the driver said, "Like that's a secret," and then elbowed the man next to him.

  Neil shot Walker a look. The bandit shrugged and admitted, "The girl is young enough; she'll be sold to the River King and you...it doesn't look good for you. I'm afraid. Gunner don't have no need of an accountant or whatever it is you were."

  "I'm guessing he won't just let me go," Neil asked. The Humvees had all turned back onto the road and were blazing off in the direction from which they had come. Neil glanced back at the turn off, hoping in vain to see Jillybean or Captain Grey slink out of the shadows.

  "It's best not to think about what's ahead for you," Walker advised, "Some things are best left as a surprise."

  Neil sat back and for a while he ignored the advice and dwelled on all the things the raiders could do to him; the list was not only long, it was also annoying. Why would they do anything to him at all? By practically everyone's estimation he was too nice and too weak to be considered a threat.

  The only thing that made sense was that they thought he was someone he wasn't or that he was part of some rival gang. He looked down at himself and snorted. His sweater vest of the day was grey and green argyle; not exactly a common gang color pattern found outside a country club.

  Worrying about himself seemed like a waste of time so he asked, "Who is this River King person?"

  "Just a man," Walker answered. "No reason for you to care. Not now at least and probably not ever unless you're tougher than you look."

  "Right, I get that, but..."

  He was interrupted by the driver. "Why don't you shut up? Johnnie Walk, punch him in his face if he keeps yapping, cuz I'm getting tired of hearin' him."

  "You heard the man," Walker said when Neil looked like he was going to protest.

  Neil was quiet for a few minutes and the night slipped by in a hum of engines. His mind strayed to Eve, sleeping up in a tree; it made him sick to think of all the horrible things that could happen to her. To get his mind off it he had to do something, even if that meant getting punched. He asked in a low voice, "Johnnie Walk? Your shirt says Walker. Is that your real name?"

  "Johnnie Walker is my drink. Who I was doesn't really matter anymore. That person is as dead as all the rest of this fucking planet," Walker said this before punching Neil in the jaw. "You were warned."

  The driver laughed. "He's gonna be trip in the arena."

  Neil almost asked about the arena, but his pounding head made him rethink the question. Besides "The Arena" didn't sound like it needed much of an explanation. These were barbaric times and the raiders were clearly barbarians, so obviously they would enjoy barbaric sports. The bloodier the better more than likely.

  So much for making a connection with his captors, he thought to himself. Men such as this, the type who bullied others for fun or who got off on dog fighting back in the old days, weren't going to be moved by Neil's plight. They would see only weakness.

  The only thing they respected was strength, something Neil did not possess. A sigh escaped him as he pictured what he was going to face in the Arena: Gladiators battling with sword and shield, bare-knuckle fights to the death, whips versus chains, unarmed men struggling against zombies.

  I could fight a zombie, he mused. Since he was vaccinated against the zombie virus, going up against one of the slower, smaller zombies was truly his best chance of winning any fight.

  He was in the process of concocting fight plans in his mind when the convoy of Humvees turned off the main road. Within a minute they had made another turn and then they were pulling into the parking lot of a grocery store. Its windows had been boarded over with inch thick plywood; there wasn't a glimmer of light to be seen.

  Someone up on the roof asked in a low voice, "You get 'em?"

  "Yep," Johnnie Walker answered. "Two, just like she said. They're not that good. Is Gunner still awake?"

  "Naw. Just chain 'em with the rest."

  Neil and Sadie were bustled inside where there was just enough of a hazy light stemming from a number of small cooking fires to see that the bandits had transformed the Piggly Wiggly into a rat's nest. There was trash everywhere, while the stink of urine and sour feet and sweat was appalling.

  Sadie cursed under her breath and Johnnie Walk smirked. "You get used to it."

  He led them through a maze of shelving that had been pushed in all directions to make rooms and alcoves; some for the filthy bandits, some for weaponry, others for supplies. In the center of the store was The Arena. It was nothing more than a boxing ring, but instead of having the traditional ropes around its edges there was chain link fencing.

  "You wanted to know what was going to happen to you," Johnnie Walker said in Neil's ear. "Death matches are all the rage now. It was the River King that thought them up. Cool right?"

  "Yeah, great," Neil said.

  "They're going to have you fight someone?" Sadie asked. "That's ridiculous. Who on earth would you fight?"

  Johnnie Walk sized Neil up with a twist to his lip. "Probably a teenager. Too bad they don't let you fight girls; you might win a fight or two." He laughed at this and then pushed the two on again, heading for the back warehouse area which had also been blocked into rooms by shelves and boxes. The two prisoners were split up: Sadie went to the left with one of the bandits, Neil went to the right with Johnnie
Walker.

  Lined against a wall were nine male prisoners. Each had a bucket to relieve themselves, a blanket for warmth and six feet of chain that went around their necks and was bolted to the floor. Most of the men looked haggard and wounded. The ones that were awake gave Neil the same appraising look Johnnie Walker had. There were a number of sighs of relief that Neil was as unimposing as he was.

  No one spoke to him, not even after Walker had chained him in place and left him in the dark. The prisoners rolled over and went to sleep, snoring loudly. With nothing better to do Neil tried his hand at sleeping and found it practically impossible, snatching only a few minutes here and there. His mind wandered and worried over Eve and Sadie and Captain Grey. He wondered what was happening to them and how they would survive.

  Strangely, he neither worried for himself nor did he fret over Jillybean. There was no question he would lose in the Arena so that made worrying for himself moot. And Jillybean had this certain something about her, this unknown quality that made it seem like she could coast through a hurricane and only have it fix her hair for her.

  His sleepless night was very long, far longer than an ordinary night since the bandits didn't begin stirring until after the sun was well up in the sky. Water was brought by a boy of about twelve who sported bruises up and down his arms. He wouldn't look the prisoners in the eye. A different boy brought a bowl filled with a bland oatmeal paste. Afraid that he wouldn't get anything else for the rest of the day, Neil forced it down his throat.

  When he was done he asked the man next to him, "What now? Do they just keep us here all day, or do we get to...go...out..."

  The man, sallow and hollow cheeked began shaking his head until Neil's words dribbled off. "Listen, buddy. I don't know you and I don't want to know you. The thing is I might have to kill you this evening and I don't like killing people who I am friendly with. They get this hurt look in their eyes when I'm throttling them. I don't like it, so leave me alone."

  Neil swallowed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Thanks, I guess." He kept to himself from then on.

  The Piggly Wiggly slowly came alive and at about noon the bandit leader, Gunner finally made his appearance. "How are my boys doing this morning?" he asked, walking down the line, his shrewd eyes looking at his fighters closely. When he got to Neil his face drooped just a little.

  "Were you expecting Captain America?" Neil asked. "Sorry to be such a disappointment."

  Gunner cast a shadow looking down on Neil. His hair was brown and his scraggly beard was flecked with grey. He had something of a beer belly which made sense as he stunk like an old keg that had gone over to rancid. He wore military fatigues, but he wasn't military, and when he spoke it was with the gravel of a long time smoker.

  "You ain't disappointing me yet, son. People can be a surprise when it's all on the line, if you know what I mean. Here, stand on up let's get a better look."

  Neil obliged. At full height he didn't quite come up to Gunner's chin. His captor had him lift his arms, turn his head back and forth, squat, and then do pushups until Neil couldn't lift himself—he managed to do only eighteen. Gunner then felt his arms, squeezing his biceps harshly until Neil grunted. "Small and skinny," Gunner commented. "Not the best combination for your new career path."

  "I'm not too worried," Neil said, rubbing his arms. "Not about me at least. But I am about Sadie, the girl I came in with last night. She's going to the River King?"

  Gunner squinted at him. "What I do with my property is my business."

  "Your property?" Neil asked. "Maybe temporarily, but you're going to find that..."

  He was just getting an indignant steam going when one of Gunner's men yelled for him. "Gunny! We got another radio call. Ya gotta hear it."

  The leader of the bandits walked away while Neil still had his mouth open and a finger raised.

  "Ok then," Neil called out. "We'll just finish this talk later." He folded his blanket into a cushion and sat on it and listened as the Piggly Wiggly became very active. The bandits ran about and yelled to each other and everyone was very grim faced. The commotion lasted only a half hour or so and then the building went still as an after-hours morgue.

  Unable to contain himself, Neil asked the sallow-faced man next to him, "What's going on?"

  He wouldn't answer, but a prisoner further down said, "Probably another raid. More meat for the Arena and more girls for the River King."

  Gunfire that was surprisingly close dispelled the idea. The prisoners became animated and stood at the end of their leashes, listening to the battle thrum through the nearby forest. Neil was practically strangling himself in his excitement; he knew the sound of Grey's M4 anywhere. If Grey was alive that meant Jillybean was too and very likely Eve was as well. Relief flooded through him, but it lasted only as long as the gun battle which ended all too quickly for his tastes.

  Minutes later Gunner came storming back in heading down the line of prisoners. The others shied back but Neil didn't see the point. He waited, wondering if he was going to be hit before the questioning or during...or both.

  It was both. Without warning or pretense, Gunner kicked Neil in the stomach, folding him in half like a lawn chair. "Who was that?" Gunner demanded.

  It was sometime before Neil could answer. "I don't know who you're talking about. If you could describe the person it would help. A picture would be best, but to warn you I'm bad with faces."

  Gunner hit him again so hard that the air sang like a whistle from Neil's throat. Gunner lifted Neil's head and asked. "Someone thinks you're important. Why? Who are you?"

  "No one."

  Neil tried to duck from the next punch but the man's heavy fist took him right across the temple. There was a flash of pain and the next thing he knew he found himself drooling on the cement; Gunner had left.

  "Where is he?" The other prisoners refused to speak, but one jerked his head toward the other end of the building toward where Sadie had been taken. "Shit," Neil whispered as a scream ripped through the air of the building. "Sadie!" Neil yelled in agony.

  The scream was cut short. He waited, listening, his breath bound up in the top of throat. When Gunner came strolling back, looking to be in a much better mood, Neil wiped them away and gritted his teeth, preparing for what was to come.

  "You called her Sadie," Gunner said, happily. "That's not a very common name."

  Neil felt his insides drop. He had forgotten about the bounty on Sadie's head! With effort he tried to keep a straight face. "I've heard it a lot, actually. There was a Sadie back in...uh, back in Birmingham. Very odd girl. Nervous, like she was afraid all the time."

  Gunner smiled easily. "Cut the crap, dipshit. That girl is Sadie Walcott. That is an interesting name in these parts. Seems there are quite a few people looking for her and there's a shitload of money coming to the man who brings her in. But you already knew that. I can tell by the look in your eyes. You got greedy eyes."

  "I do?" Neil asked. He'd never before had his baby blue eyes described as greedy. If anyone had greedy eyes it was Gunner. Neil shook off the thought and pleaded, "You have to believe me. What happened in New York was all a misunderstanding. Sadie is actually a lovely person."

  The smile on Gunner's face broadened. "Ok, now I see the angle you're playing. You're a smooth one. You sweet-talked her, you son of a bitch!" He laughed and slapped Neil on the back. "That's one way to bring in a bounty I never thought of. Probably got some french-benefits to go along with the reward money. Smart."

  "Yeah, it was a good plan," Neil replied, playing along, forcing a watery smile on his bruised face.

  "A good plan," Gunner agreed. "But that doesn't explain the shooter we had up in the woods. Our informant says it was a soldier. Friend of yours? Or another bounty hunter?"

  Neil's mind raced. He knew it was already too late for the small lie of denial; Gunner had him at a distinct disadvantage, staring him in the eye like that. "Yeah. He's a bounty hunter, too. A professional from back before, ex military. He's the
muscle and I'm the brains."

  Gunner looked up at the high ceiling as he thought over Neil's words. "And the dead bitch in the back of the Humvee? Another bounty?"

  The thought of Sarah's corpse was jarring and Neil's mouth came open uselessly for a second as he tried to collect himself. Gunner was still looking up and didn't notice. Neil finally spat out: "Yeah, another bounty. It's probably useless now."

  The bandit leader laughed again and said, "Probably nothing. That thing was gross. What the fuck did you guys do to her?"

  "Stuff," was all Neil would say about Sarah. He tried to grin away the pain in his heart. "So, me and you are on the same side so to speak. Maybe we could come to some agreement regarding the girl. Work out some sort of monetary arrangement."

  "What sort of agreement would cover the four men that your friend just killed?" Gunner asked. "You think I could let that slide even if I wanted to? What, got no answer Mister Smart-Guy? Let me tell you about my arrangement with you. First I kill you and then I kill your friend. How does that sound?"

  "You could kill me with a snap of your fingers," Neil answered. "But my friend will be much harder. You see he's not alone. There's someone..."

  "Don't make me laugh!" Gunner said, ironically laughing at the same time. "I know the bunch of pussies he's with and I know their every move. I got a mole working the inside. If he comes for you again, I'll have thirty men waiting on him."

  "That may not be enough," Neil said. Gunner grunted a laugh to show that he wasn't at all worried. Neil decided to try to buy himself some time. "If you plan on killing me in the Arena, I would like to fight a zombie."

  "That's an odd request," Gunner said.

  "I got a thing against zombies," Neil said. "It would be nothing to corral one in here." Neil thought his plan to give Grey a few more days to rescue him and Sadie was a good one but he didn't count on the laziness of the raiders.

  "Sounds like too much of a hassle," Gunner said. "So instead you'll fight ole Big Bill. Stand up Big Bill. Let your next victim take a look at you."