The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10

by Lavati, Taylor

  “We need to leave. Now.” Jim jumped up from the ground. Together we lifted Scarlet. The blanket was difficult to maneuver and keep around her slim waist. I got her feet, holding her around her thighs while Jim cradled her upper body, holding under her armpits.

  We retraced our steps back to the camp. When the fire was in sight, I let go of Scarlet, leaving her with Jim and sprinted. I ran straight into the hut and grabbed an extra pair of pants. I met them back in the road.

  We were on the move again. Only this time, someone might have been following us.

  “We need to leave. Now.” Jim quickly stomped out the fire and covered it with wet leaves Marcus had collected. “Let’s go!” Jim yelled towards the lake at Marcus and his father. Their heads whipped towards us. Marcus reached for his dad, and they broke out into a run, pumping their arms with urgency.

  I pulled Scarlet off to the side to check in with her. If we were on the move, she had to be able to walk. Her dark brown eyes were hollow, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. She looked like an eater, minus the coloring on her eye and her rosy cold cheeks. Droopy clothes swallowed her slender frame.

  “Are you able to move?” I asked. She leaned against the hut, her face pale white, her lips together in a line. She swayed back on her heels, wobbling. I handed her my water and let her drink the entire thing. Gavin had boiled a few gallons so we weren’t without.

  “I just want to put as much distance between us and this town. I’ll walk forever just to get away.”

  I smiled at her, proud of her bravery in such a trying situation. When I met her, I never thought she’d survive, and now here she was, living through trauma after trauma. She had the worst luck of the bunch—deaths and now this.

  “Do you remember anything?” I asked her. I didn’t want to bring the memories back up, but at the same time, I had to know. In a normal situation, I wouldn’t have pushed so soon. I completely understood what she went through—the feeling of pure fear, repulsiveness, the constant flashes behind my eyes. I knew the physical effects of being abused, but also knew how much worse the mental pain was.

  “There were three of them. They all had dark brownish hair, but they hit me, and my vision blurred. Masks covered their faces, so I don’t know specifics. This one guy had a higher voice, heavy, kind of like he couldn’t breathe right. He kept panting. He smelled like shit, more so than we do.

  “They shot me up with something that made my head spin. They didn’t let me eat or drink anything all day and night.”

  “Where did they abduct you from?” I asked.

  Her face fell. She ran her hand over her swollen eye, putting pressure on the spot it was most purple. “I was leaving. I was pissed after Kev died, and I know I took it out on you and all, but I liked him. And you were hooking up with Jim. I was jealous that you got to keep him, and I lost Kev and my husband in a matter of weeks.

  “I’m used to getting what I want. So I left. I was going to go to my sister’s by myself. You all were taking too long, doing other shit. I thought if I just left, I’d get there and find my sister and live happily ever after. But I only made it to the highway.

  “I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance. I was cowering in a fucking gas station before you and Jim found me. So I turned around and was going to come back and apologize to you. But then this guy grabbed me from behind. He tied my arms and legs with zip-ties and shoved me into the back of a car.” She shook her head as she remembered the events, tears pooling in her eyes. I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder.

  “You don’t have to tell me more,” I told her. Her light eyes cut up to mine, wide with worry. “You’re my friend. I hope that you know that. Don’t leave us again. We can get through this together. I’m here for you. I understand what you’re going through.” I swallowed a lump in my throat.

  “I lived with a guy who used to abuse me. I always knew how to take care of myself when it came to grabby people. I guess living in foster care taught me how to close myself off and block things. Anyway, when I turned fifteen I was living in a house with a guy who hit us.

  “He apparently decided fifteen was a reasonable age to start molesting me. I took it, blocked out the bad things while planning my escape. I got my younger sister out of the house first. Then I petitioned for emancipation. Took them six months to get me my certificate out of the system. But it was the best day of my life.” My body shook as the memories surfaced, visceral images materializing.

  “Lana.” Scarlet’s voice broke through.

  “Anything you ever need, just ask. Seriously.” I pulled her against me, seeking comfort and hoping to lend her some. She rested her head on my shoulder, her arms around my waist.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as we separated. “Thanks for telling me. It actually helps.” She smiled, but it never reached her eyes.

  “Girls!” Gabriel yelled. I glanced back towards the camp. He ran around with a large bag that overflowed with oddly shaped boxes and bags of the food. I took Scarlet’s hand and led her back to camp.

  Everyone ran in a frenzy, gathering all we had accumulated. Gavin juggled a dozen water bottles that fumbled in his arms as he maneuvered them into his bag. Marcus and Michael had backpacks on and stood by the road waiting for the rest of us.

  “I’ll be right back,” I told Scarlet. I ran into the hut to find my bag.

  Jim’s back was to me. He hunched over a large box, pulling bags and transitioning them into his own. My bag was right where I left it, shoved in the corner by the fishing tackle.

  “Can you get me some chocolate bars?” I asked as Jim stacked cans.

  He turned as if just sensing my presence and nodded. He reached up, his shirt moving with his arm, exposing a strip of bare, tanned flesh. My stomach lifted, my nerves shooting off little butterflies.

  I tried to ignore the pull I had towards him. I refused to be a fragile person who relied on everyone. I could be independent. Yet Jim had become my rock. I felt safe around him. And I didn’t think it was fair to ignore that. I should welcome him during such a difficult time.

  I stepped towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist from behind. I buried my head against his shoulder blade. Emotions bubbled to the surface, my past catching up with me. I tried not to cry, but tears streaked down my face, wetting his gray shirt. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed through my nose, trying to maintain control.

  “What’s the matter?” He turned around, pulling my arms up. I refused to show my face, now digging into his chest. He sighed and held me, letting me cry against him.

  “It’s just everything, you know. I need a second.” His arms loosened around me, but I didn’t like it. “Don’t let me go,” I begged, tightening my hold. I didn’t know how much longer I had of being strong. I wasn’t this courageous person. I let people walk all over me. I barely made ends meet. I didn’t have a leg to stand on for the majority of my twenty-four year old life.

  I always pretended to be strong. But deep down it was a front. This was the real me. Emotional, weak, dependent. During my years in foster homes, I was always put down for something—from not doing dishes to leaving too early for school. Even now as the world was tossed into shambles, I couldn’t just forget my past.

  “Lana, baby. What is it?” Jim grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back so there a foot of space separated us. I didn’t want him to see my blotchy face, but he didn’t give me much of a choice. I glanced up at him.

  “I’m not a strong—”

  “Of course you are,” he cut in before I could finish. “Do you even know what you’ve given these people?”

  I shook my head, averting my eyes to the cement floor.

  “Hope. You’re the reason Michael is even alive right now, and Scarlet for that matter.”

  “It’s just so hard.”

  “I know, but I believe in you. You’ve been changing me, too.”

  “How?”

  “I give a shit about these people. Before I would’ve only looked out for myself. I wan
ted to leave you after we ran from the library. I didn’t want your blood on my hands, but for selfish reasons. Now I care about you, and Scarlet, and even Gabriel. You did that to me.”

  “I didn’t mean to.” I didn’t want to change him.

  “Well, you did.” He rubbed his thumb across my lip, then replaced them with his lips. They formed against me, caressing me in a gentle way I never knew he could. The kiss screamed intimacy as his hands cradled my face. It took me off guard. I folded into him. His body heat entered me and filled me with something I didn’t understand. I pulled back.

  “We have to get out of here before those men come back,” I said, ready to take on the world. The few words Jim said to me lifted my spirits. I shouldn’t care about the past since it couldn’t be changed. I had to look forward. New possibilities could be around any corner.

  “Did Scarlet tell you what they looked like?” Jim asked as he handed me a handful of chocolate bars. He hiked his bag over his back and made sure that his two knives and gun were right where he needed them.

  “Just that they had masks. They smelled. She didn’t know much. They shot her up with something that made her dizzy and pass out, I guess.” I shrugged because Scarlet didn’t really give up much.

  “Could be anyone.” Jim shook his head and slammed his fist into the metal rack. I flinched. “Let’s go.” His face hardened, drawing together. He stormed out of the hut without another word to me.

  I was left alone. Being fast, I grabbed some food and tightened my bag over my back. I left in Jim’s wake.

  We’d only been on the highway for a few hours. The sun was at its highest point in the sky. It beat down against us with unrelenting force, abnormally heating the day. We needed a break. I convinced the men to keep going on track because I knew Scarlet really needed this. Something positive had to happen for her or I feared she’d be in the same mental state as Michael.

  “Hey,” I said to Gabe. “Where’s Michael?”

  “Said he had to go to the bathroom. Walked off into the woods not too long ago. Is that bad?” he asked as he handed me a can of string beans.

  “I’m not sure yet.” I glanced into the shadowed woods, an unsettling nauseous feeling in the hollow of my stomach. I wrapped my arm around Marcus and handed him the beans after I took a sip of the water they sat in. Marcus smiled up at me, completely oblivious to the tight rope his father walked.

  “Can I eat them all?” Marcus asked as he dipped his dirt encrusted fingers in the can.

  “No. Scarlet didn’t eat yet. Two more only.”

  “Fine,” he groaned as he fished out two more of the long ones. He handed me back the can, and I passed it across the circle to Scarlet. She leaned to the right, most of her weight on her hip. Her eye only appeared to be getting worse, her lip completely cracked and dry.

  Jim’s entire shirt was drenched with sweat, the normally gray fabric nearly black. He had a long knife in his hand. He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm and tugged on his warm jacket.

  “We ready to move again? We might be able to make it early tomorrow if we move faster.” Jim looked around the circle then noticed what I had just moments before. “Where’s Mike?”

  I nodded towards the woods. Jim walked off in the direction we thought Michael went, his footsteps echoing. I glimpsed down at Marcus and faked a smile.

  “Want to check out some more cars?” I wanted to distract Marcus, divert his attention away from his father and the crumbling world. He shot up and ran to the first one he could find. “Wait for me,” I scolded.

  The first car was empty. Marcus climbed into the back seat and rummaged through an old gym bag. He said it smelled like stinky eggs. I helped him out as we left the door open, not wanting to set off any alarms.

  An eater stumbled towards us from the woods. Instead of killing it, we ran past it to the next car. The man wore jeans and a loose tee, covered from head to toe in dark brown dirt. He shuffled, slow enough we could avoid having to interact.

  The old white station wagon didn’t have anyone inside it. I cracked the window with my gun and brushed off the edges of the glass so I could crack it open. I popped open the door, but the alarm blared. My heart jumped.

  I tore open the door and climbed into the front seat. I started bashing all the buttons of the door, hitting the windows and the locks trying to get the alarm to shut up. It continued to scream, a signal to anyone who was near our location, showing them exactly where we were.

  I reached under the steering wheel and started to yank at the cords. I remembered in a movie once they broke the wires to stop alarms. I didn’t know how true it was. Finally after ripping all the cords, the alarm shut down. Marcus stood hanging onto the door, his fingers in his ears. I leaned back in the seat and shut my eyes, panting with worry.

  “What the fuck, Lana?” Gabe ran towards me with anger painted across his face. He grabbed my arm and tugged me out of the car past Marcus. “Do you not think at all? You might as well have lit the bat signal.”

  “Leave her alone, Gabriel,” Scarlet said from behind him. She limped over to the car and nodded to me. Marcus ran to my side and clutched my leg. “It was an accident.”

  “We can’t afford accidents!” Gabe yelled.

  “What the fuck happened?” Jim said as he ran to us from the woods. I glanced past him and saw Mike emerge.

  “I set off the alarm by accident,” I fessed up, my cheeks hot as coals. Marcus let go of me and ran to his dad, leaving me completely alone. Everyone was against me, or at least it felt like it. “I’m sorry.”

  “We have to get out of here,” Jim said.

  “Shit,” Gabe said, and I peeked behind me, following his line of sight. A dozen or so eaters walked towards us, hands up. Their clothes seemed to drip off their skinny bodies, their hair wispy strands.

  “Start moving,” Jim commanded as he ran back to the circle and gathered what was left. He tossed the empty can of beans to Gavin, who shoved it into a pocket on the side of his backpack. My heart thudded against my chest. I ran to Gavin and handed him the walking stick, helping him move faster than his normal speed with an arm around his shoulder.

  Marcus and Michael ran faster than the rest of us, leading the way down the deserted highway ahead. Scarlet awkwardly limped along, clutching her lower abdomen. She fumbled with the strap of her backpack as she moved it around. I figured she tried to hold it in a way that didn’t bother her bruises. Gabriel and Jim hung behind around the camp, gathering our pot and utensils.

  “It’s not your fault, Lana. I know what you were tryin’ to do with the boy. You mean well. You keep the group together even if you don’t know it.” Gavin’s words almost brought me to tears, but my crying session from earlier this morning held my emotions at bay.

  “Thank you,” I said, smiling up at his warm eyes. Something cracked from behind us. I didn’t want to panic or startle the others, but I turned to see what it was. The eaters gained on us, shuffling between the cars. Or maybe more had begun to follow. I wasn’t sure.

  Jim and Gabriel ran along the outside of the highway, right at the edge of the tree line. Their arms were full with the pot and cooking things that were left out near the little circle we sat for break. I tried to help Gavin move faster, but as the eaters licked at our heels, less than ten feet behind, I knew we’d have to attack. The weaker couldn’t walk, let along jog.

  “Do you have a knife?” I asked Gavin, glancing over my shoulder every other second. He nodded and pointed to his hip, where a knife holstered in his jean loop.

  “Give it to me. Don’t stop walking.” Gavin handed me his huge knife. From my Sports Authority lesson, I knew the knife was too big for me, but it would have to work. I let go of Gavin, forcing him to walk alone. I turned, walking backwards, as I faced the first grouping of eaters.

  “Lana!” Scarlet yelled when she saw I had broken off from the group. I knew that one-on-one I could take an eater. Learning their techniques came easy since all they wanted was to kill
us. They had no other motive. But taking on a group of them wouldn’t work since they could easily crowd and circle me. I searched for something I could use to my advantage.

  Two cars down in the far right lane was a high-off-the-ground pick-up truck. I sprinted in a diagonal to it and jumped in the back.

  “Hey! Over here!” I yelled, trying to get the eater’s attention. A couple of their gray heads turned towards me and changed routes. I yelled again, waving my arms and jumping in the car to make a banging sound. I stomped against the metal truck bed, using whatever I had to make noise.

  It only took a moment for the eaters to reach me. The first eater, a woman, lunged towards the back end of the truck. She clawed at the side, reaching and biting at it. She lifted her leg like she was trying to get into the back, but she couldn’t figure out how to maneuver herself. I lifted the knife, noticing that her head peeked above the siding, perfectly in line with my knees. I stepped forward and slashed the knife down the center of her skull.

  She moaned and then silenced, her eyes shutting. I yanked the knife from the top of her head, and her body fell lifelessly to the pavement. Something banged to my right, punching the truck’s side. Another eater. I spun around, jabbed him in the ear, quickly pulling the knife back out.

  Another one on the other side of the truck got closer to climbing in. The taller man had ripped clothing, browned from misuse. He used his longer limbs to reach into the truck. His hand got ahold of my leg. I jerked back to free myself, kicking and swinging my leg to release his loose hold. I stumbled backwards, my back hitting the cab.

  Another eater clawed at me from the opposite side. He reached for my shoulders and head. I ducked past him and found the taller man. He posed more of an immediate threat to me. I grabbed the back of his head as my heart thrummed, the only thing I could hear. I stuck my knife right into his eye socket, making it pop.

  Blood squirted as I withdrew the knife. The blood projected towards my arm, coating it in thick, warm, redness. He fell down, creating a barrier that eaters would have to walk over. I jabbed and sliced and penetrated so many eaters that I lost count. But the supply never seemed to end.