The Curse: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (After the End Trilogy Book 1)

by Mark Gillespie

  It was a grueling stalemate, one that seemed to last forever.

  Soon, Eda’s arms were like two lead pipes attached to her body. The adrenaline was wearing off and exhaustion was setting in.

  Lex must have felt the younger woman start to fade. All of a sudden she dipped to her knees in a low squat, held it there for a second before springing upwards like a big cat leaping through the undergrowth at its prey. This sudden motion sent Eda hurtling over the warrior’s head and for a moment she was flying like a bird through the air.

  She landed on her back and the impact rattled her insides. As Eda lay there, fighting to regain her senses, she heard loud feet splashing through the puddles and coming over towards her. She yelped as someone grabbed her by the hair.

  There was an explosion of pain.

  “Let go!” Eda cried out, trying to unlock Lex’s grip on her hair.

  “You ungrateful little shit,” Lex said. “After everything we’ve done for you, this is how you thank us?”

  The chief warrior tugged harder and Eda felt like she was on the brink of being scalped. She screamed in agony and as Lex kept yanking on her hair she was forced back up onto her feet. Once she was upright, she saw the hateful look forming on Lex’s face. The warrior let go of Eda’s hair all of a sudden and her entire body snapped forward with a vicious punch that landed clean on Eda’s temple.

  Eda felt the lights go out for just a second. There was a flash of bright and beautiful colors dancing before her eyes.

  She felt her body slam off the ground as she dropped onto the road. When Eda looked up, there was a blurry shape towering over her. The image slowly cleared and it was Lex, stepping forward with both hands gripped around the handle of the samurai sword.

  She was smiling.

  “It was a good try Eda,” she said. “But it’s over now and I mean over. You’re a danger to everything we’re trying to build here. You’re not going back to the Waldorf – you belong in the East River. Don’t worry, we’ll put your boyfriend in with you.”

  At that point, Eda heard a voice yelling in the distance. It sounded like Shay.

  “No!” the voice yelled. “Lex, don’t kill her!”

  Lex glanced over her shoulder and shook her head.

  “Not this time Shay.”

  While the warrior was looking behind her, Eda twisted around so that she was lying on her front. Her fingers grasped at the road as she began to crawl down the rain-soaked street in a bid to get away.

  But she was like a slug in the rain.

  Lex stepped forward and pressed the flat of her boot on Eda’s back, pinning her tight onto the road.

  “So long kid,” she said. “You could have been one of the great ones.”

  Eda’s face dropped into a shallow puddle and she spat out a mouthful of rainwater. Then she closed her eyes and braced herself for the end. She’d fought them at least and even though it had never been about winning, Eda didn’t feel ready to die.

  Not yet.

  She waited. But the blade didn’t touch her.

  From where she lay face-first on the ground, Eda heard a faint gasping sound. It was enough to make her spin around and just in time to see something charging towards Lex – a lightning fast streak of black and brown that shot through the air, leaping over Eda like she was a hurdle on a track and crashing into the chief warrior, throwing her off her feet and onto the street where she landed badly.

  Eda managed to lift her head slowly off the ground. Before she saw anything, she heard Frankie Boy snarling and growling, sounding at last every bit like the wild animal that Linda always feared he was. She saw Lex’s sword lying on the road just a few feet by her side. Then she lifted her head further and caught up with the action. Frankie Boy’s assault on the warrior was vicious and blurry. His jaws lunged and snapped at Lex’s face over and over again. When he wasn’t going for the face, his sharp teeth ravaged the hands that Lex held up to defend her face.

  This wasn’t a warning attack. Frankie Boy was trying to kill her.

  Eda heard both Shay and David shouting from afar. She couldn’t make out what either one of them was saying. One thing Eda did understand though – she had to get a hold of Lex’s sword before Shay did.

  With a yelp of pain, she pushed herself onto two unsteady feet. A sharp knot twisted in her side and she felt a stream of hot blood run down the side of her mouth. Eda tasted it and then wiped her lips dry.

  Shay was about fifteen feet away from the sword. She was racing towards the weapon with remarkable speed for an older woman. Her face was one big giant grimace. But Eda, although hurt, was much closer. She bent down and after fumbling around for a second like a blind person, she locked her fingers around the hilt.

  She straightened up and pointed the blade at the advancing Shay.

  “Too late,” Eda said.

  Shay stopped dead. Her face shriveled up with a look of crushing disappointment.

  David picked up the sword that belonged to the warrior that Eda had killed.

  As she stood there, Eda glanced over Shay’s shoulder and strained her eyes towards the horizon. There were more warriors racing down Lexington. No doubt Linda or someone else back at the Waldorf had rallied the troops and now here they were, coming to aid the recovery effort, to reclaim Helen of Troy for the Complex or at the very least to make sure Eda Becker ended up in the East River.

  “Get it off me!” Lex screamed. “Get this fucking monster off me!”

  The warrior’s face was a mask of blood. Her shredded hands threw a barrage of defiant punches at Frankie Boy’s head but it seemed like the dog had a brick for a skull. He was impervious to Lex’s blows and he continued to snap his jaws and open her up a piece at a time. Eda felt luckier than ever now that he’d chosen to befriend her that day on West 42nd Street.

  “Call him off,” Shay said, looking at Eda. Her voice was desperate. “Eda. Please! He’ll listen to you if you call him.”

  Eda left the older woman hanging for a second.

  “Why should I?”

  Shay stood there, helpless and pleading with her eyes.

  “Please,” she said. “We’ll talk about this but right now get him off before he kills her.”

  Eda nodded slowly. She turned to her left.

  “Frankie Boy!” she yelled. “Frankie!” She walked over towards the struggle, clapping her hands loudly.

  “Enough!”

  But Frankie Boy ignored her. He had a fierce grip on Lex’s forearm and he was shaking his head back and forth, as if trying to pull it clean off her body.

  Eda dropped her sword at David’s feet. She hurried over and taking a deep breath, reached down for for Frankie Boy. She wrapped an arm around his neck and gripped his underside, making sure her face was out of biting range.

  “Don’t bite me boy,” she said. “C’mon let’s go.”

  She pulled the dog off the bloody and battered Lex.

  But Frankie Boy struggled and came back in, lunging at Lex’s neck once more, perhaps sensing it was his last chance to finish her. But Eda secured her hold on him again and pulled him out of range. His jaws connected with thin air.

  Eda looked down at the dog. His mouth and teeth were stained red. His tail was stiff and pointing up at the grey sky.

  He looked happy.

  “Take him,” she said to David.

  David looked worried. “What?” he said.

  “Take him,” Eda said, bringing Frankie Boy over. “He won’t hurt you. It’s just for a second while he calms down.”

  David lowered the two swords he was carrying onto the road. He knelt down beside the big German Shepherd and tentatively took over from Eda, wrapping his arms around the dog.

  “Easy boy,” David said, his voice trembling. “Take it easy.”

  Eda picked up one of the swords. Then, looking at Shay, she strode over to Lex and pulled her by the hair until the chief warrior was up on her knees. Lex gasped but she didn’t have the strength left to protest further.

/>   “Does that hurt?” Eda whispered in Lex’s ear.

  She pressed the blade against Lex’s throat.

  At the same time, David tentatively uncoiled his arms from around Frankie Boy’s middle. The dog lay down on the road, licking its bloody lips, and seemingly uninterested in going after Lex again.

  David picked up the two remaining swords and staggered forward, pointing the weapons at Shay who surveyed the situation with a blank expression.

  “Congratulations,” Shay said, lowering the hood of her red rain cloak. She lifted her face towards the rain. “You fought well.”

  “Thanks,” David said, edging closer to her.

  “What a pity it wasn’t enough,” Shay said. She turned around and jerked a thumb at the pack of warriors in the distance. “As you can see, the cavalry is coming. And you can’t beat them all, not even with the ferocious Frankie Boy at your side.”

  She looked over at Eda.

  “You belong here with us,” Shay said.

  Eda pressed the blade tighter against Lex’s throat.

  “Didn’t you say in the Roosevelt that you’d banish me if I refused to be Helen of Troy?” she said. “Well I refuse.”

  Shay cackled with laughter.

  “It’s too late to refuse,” she said. “You made the decision to become Helen and there’s no going back once you’ve said yes. You don’t leave the Waldorf until there’s a baby growing inside you. You’re being selfish Eda. Think about it – that’s one more life, a great man or woman to incorporate into our future society. Have you forgotten why we’re doing this? We’re doing this to save our species and all you can do is think about yourself.”

  “Why are you still pretending?” Eda said. “Why are you still making out that this – all this – is about the glory of rebuilding the human race? That’s bullshit. I know you Shay and I know what the real goal is here for you.”

  “What are you talking about?” Shay said. “This is…”

  “Knock it off for God’s sake,” Eda said, cutting in. “I’m not stupid or blind Shay. I was there. I saw the look in your eyes when you stuck the knife in Mitford’s back. My God, I’ve never seen you look so alive. Never. Now compare that to when you were looking at those kids in the Roosevelt – at your future utopia. The great dream! You know what I saw then? Nothing. If anything Shay, you looked bored.”

  Shay’s eyes lit up. “Eda…”

  “Murder,” Eda said. “Simple old fashioned murder. That’s what Shay’s Project is all about. You’re using all of us – the gardeners, the warriors, all the Helens – to run one big giant factory of revenge that serves no one but you. Right? You lost your family in the war – your husband, kids, your dogs and all those nice vacations at the beach. Gone. The war took everything from you and you’re angry about it. You’re so angry that when you survived, you dedicated the rest of your life to getting revenge on those responsible. You can’t kill all those men by yourself though right? So you built the Complex to do it for you. Don’t pretend that this place is about life Shay – that’s an insult to all the ambassadors and warriors that died for you. The Complex is all about death and revenge. Your revenge.”

  Shay stood like a statue with the rain streaming down her face.

  “The Project is a noble cause,” she said.

  Eda glanced down at Lex who was floating in and out of consciousness every couple of minutes or so. Right now it looked like she was out but Eda wasn’t taking any chances – she kept the blade pressed tight against the warrior’s throat.

  “Noble?” Eda said. “Is that how you sleep at night? You try to convince yourself that it’s all about the kids?”

  Eda peered over her shoulder. The other warriors would catch up with them soon enough. There were about ten of them in total closing the distance, still running at a fast pace and with their curved swords drawn and ready. Eda was only too aware of how these women were going to react when they saw the state of Lex and the other two.

  “You’re Helen of Troy,” Shay said. She was also looking back at the reinforcements on the horizon. “Come back with me now. You have no choice in the matter.”

  Eda shook her head. “You’re going to let me go.”

  “No,” Shay said. “That’s impossible.”

  “You have to let me go,” Eda said, “If you don’t I’ll make sure all the warriors know the truth about this place. I will. Everyone here loves you Shay because you’ve given them a purpose – they think they’re working towards something bigger than themselves and it keeps them going from day to day. The gardeners are clueless – they still think there’s only one Helen and that the curse is real, but at least they’ve got a dream to beat the curse. That’s why they get up in the morning and work so hard. The warriors at least know the truth about Helen but they’re still in the dark too – they think that little utopia you’ve got going on in the Roosevelt is the end goal. Bullshit! Shay’s revenge is the only end goal there ever was. What do you think they’d say if they found out that you’re using them?”

  “They would never believe you,” Shay said. “And you know it.”

  “I’ll make them believe me,” Eda said. “If it’s the last thing I do and it just might be. I might not be very convincing as Helen of Troy but I’m damn good at persuading people, even you.”

  “What do you mean?” Shay said.

  “Do you really think I give a damn what knife I use to kill someone?” Eda said. “That’s ridiculous. And yet back in the hotel I made you think I did. That’s why you left the room to go fetch Lucia while I told David the truth. Remember?”

  Shay laughed softly. She exchanged silent glares with Eda and it felt like a long time passed before she finally said something.

  “Maybe we can work something out,” she said.

  Eda squinted her eyes.

  “Like what?”

  Shay sighed. She blinked rapidly like there was a stinging pain loose in her eyes.

  “I want you to become an ambassador,” she said. “You can leave New York and still be a part of the Complex. I want you to walk across this country Eda and see for yourself what they did. You don’t ever have to come back here, on one condition.”

  “What?” Eda said.

  “If you find any men who fought in the war,” Shay said, “you send them to New York. You send them to Helen of Troy.”

  Eda’s brow creased. “You want me to send men here?” she asked. “To their death?”

  “They carry too much darkness with them,” Shay said. “And that makes them unsuitable.” She raised the hood of her rain cloak and her stoic features were hidden once again. “That’s the best offer you’re going to get Eda.”

  14

  Eda and David walked west along Lexington Avenue.

  The rain had at last eased off and the blanket of thick clouds that had looked so permanent was now breaking up nicely. Somewhere up ahead, in between those blue pockets of sky, an unknown America was waiting for them.

  Frankie Boy trotted briskly at their heels, a silent four-legged shadow.

  The three travelers passed by a long line of familiar faces gathered on both sides of the street. All the assistants, including Linda, Gillian, Nicola and Lucia, were there, blank-faced and detached. The warriors were there too, still seething about what had happened to Lex and their two comrades. Fortunately for Eda, after striking a deal about becoming an ambassador, Shay had dissuaded the warriors from killing Eda and the others on the spot.

  The hatred clearly lingered in the women’s eyes.

  It was there on Lex’s face too. She was still bloody and dazed but she was at least back on her feet. At that moment, it looked like a stiff breeze would decapitate her. Eda even found herself pitying the woman a little. Lex had been unconscious at the end and as far as Eda was aware, she still had no idea that she was, like so many others, a pawn in Shay’s elaborate revenge plan. Maybe Lex wouldn’t have cared to know anyway. Would anyone? The women in Manhattan had a home, a familiar routine and a saf
e environment to live in. The truth was perhaps an inconvenience they were better off without.

  The modest farewell ceremony had been arranged in a hurry. It had to be kept as quiet as possible because the majority of the other women in the Complex, those who still believed in the curse, couldn’t know that it was taking place. As far as they were concerned, Eda Becker had skipped town a long time ago.

  Eda had protested the ceremony; it seemed a ludicrous suggestion considering what had just taken place. And yet Shay insisted on it anyway. All the ambassadors were given a farewell ceremony on their way out of town. It was tradition. Mostly however, Eda suspected that Shay wanted to show the others that Eda wasn’t really leaving the Complex.

  She was an ambassador now. She was still one of them.

  Shay was waiting for them at the end of the line. She stepped out to meet the wary-looking travelers.

  A long, tense look was exchanged between the two parties.

  “Farewell,” she said. “Safe journey to you all. I expect to hear your name on the lips of future visitors Eda.”

  Eda lowered the hood of her rain cloak. There was still a dull ache throbbing on the side of her head where Lex had punched her.

  “I might not find anyone,” Eda said.

  “You will,” Shay said, a half-smile on her lips. “You have no idea what’s waiting for you out there. One day, you’ll realize what you left behind here Eda. And you’ll be sorry.”

  Shay stepped aside, allowing space for the three travelers to move on.

  As they left the Complex behind, Eda’s eyes darted back and forth towards the commercial and residential buildings. Was it really over? She couldn’t help but look out for the tip of a wooden bow poking out of an open window. She listened for the sudden, high-pitched whooshing noise of an arrow let loose.

  Would she feel the sensation of something sharp impaled in her neck? Any second now…

  Eda didn’t say anything to David. For the most part, they walked in silence.

  After about thirty minutes of walking, Eda stopped and turned around. A long stretch of empty road rolled back for miles, flanked by towering skyscrapers and car wrecks that blemished the streets like litter.