Between Rubble and Ruin: Chapter 2 – The Hunted
Chapter 2 – The Hunted
They pushed through the swaying birches and bald pines of the autumn woods. With each step, a kaleidoscopic array of colored leaves crumbled underfoot and left the disturbed forest floor bare and tattling on the sisters as if the ecosystem itself was the slaver’s spy.
First they sprinted, and then they ran. Finally as the sun reached its zenith and started to abandon the heavens to the moon, their steps turned into a rushed walk. Night gave birth to a humid rain and then to thunder.
With relief the pair stumbled upon an old world gravel road. Patience didn’t know where it might lead, in fact in her horror and haste she wasn’t even positive of the direction from which they left camp. Still, they were going towards something and that was preferable to nothing.
The occasional flash of lightning lit the skies, bringing forth a quick blink of daylight and casting the girl’s tired shadows behind them upon the road for what felt like miles. Patience tried to think and tried to plan, but it was all her being could do to keep moving. It took all their strength to put one foot in front of the other and not simply curl up into a pathetic ball and wait for death. They needed a plan to shake their pursuers. They needed a plan to survive in the world. However those kinds of thoughts were simply too much to ask.
The road eventually curled along the edge of a lake, emblazoned by moonlight the picturesque scene provided a serene contrast to the day’s events. The road then reached its terminus at a large lakeside building. The ornate wooden structure being overrun by nature was rustic even by old world standards. The sisters crept closer, Patience cautiously looking for signs the place was still in use. Judith grabbed her sister’s dress with both hands and remained close behind. A tire swing swaying erratically with the winds caught her attention and she watched as it briefly eclipsed the moon once every few moments.
“Can we stop? I’m tired.” The younger sister asked with a whimper. Patience thought for a moment as she searched for signs of life. Would those men be hot on their trail or had the storm pushed them off course? It would always be safer to run, but her sister looked at her limit, and she herself didn’t feel up for much more than a slow walk no matter how hard she pushed herself.
“Alright.” she acquiesced, hoping it wouldn’t be a mistake. “Just until morning.”
Both felt glad to get in out of the storm while they cautiously crept inside. Patience held up her scavenged handgun, knowing full well what dangers could be hiding in such darkness. She led her sister upstairs and into one of the many rooms, skirting along the walls as best she could to avoid the pitch dark interior in favor of the moonlit windowed edge. A large cross hung over the staircase, decreeing this place as a house of god, but if there ever was such a being, he had long since abandoned his flock to the wolves.
They entered a rather large room that faced the road they had come in on. As her sister cleared the room, Judith looked around. A dozen or so desks sat in the center of the room, silently facing a dusty chalkboard as if eager students waiting for a teacher that would never arrive.
Patience stood beside the window, peering out at the road leading in while shivering slightly. Her sister, at least, had been sleeping in normal clothes, but she herself could do with a few more layers and maybe some pants. Judith set down the knife and sat on one of the desks in the front row, her weary limbs delighted to be at rest.
“What about dad?” she asked glumly, staring at the fading stained wood desktop.
“Dead.” her sister bluntly replied, still staring outside.
“But what if..”
“He’s DEAD!” Patience screamed in anger. “Gone! He’s a million pieces of mush!” Judith looked taken aback and quietly began to sob, folding her arms atop the desk’s surface and burring her head within.
“I..” Patience stammered, feeling like something of a bitch. “I’m sorry.” Her voice wavered and she wanted nothing more than to join her sister in tears. However, her mother had told her to protect Judith and she was determined not to fail. She returned to her vigil.
“What about the clan?” Judith sniffled, briefly looking up at her sister. “Do you think anyone escaped?”
“Dunno.” was the reply. “Not a damned thing we could do for them now anyway.” Patience turned to Judith and looked her in the eye. “It is just you and me now.” The little sister collapsed back into her own arms while the elder simply returned to watching the road.
Patience looked at her rifle; the last remnant of her old life that already felt like so long ago. She set the handgun on the windowsill and ratcheted the rifle’s action, unable to unjam the thing. She placed it stock down on the floor and, with the strength of pent up emotion, kicked down on it, sending the unspent bullet clinking along the floor and disturbing the uneasy silence.
Judith glanced at her sister as the latter retrieved the bullet from the floor. Patience held it up in front of her eyes.
“Six in the one, three in the other.” she mumbled to herself. “Five men, nine shots.” She knew she couldn’t afford to miss.
“I’m thirsty.” Judith murmured, mouth half buried in her arms. Her sister sighed.
“We should get some while we can.” Patience admitted, stepping away from the window. “We’ll need something to boil it in and something to burn.” Even lake water this far out from the old cities was likely toxic, for even the rainwater wasn’t particularly safe to drink. Patience looked around to find a bookshelf full of musty old tomes. “These should burn well enough.”
“We can’t burn books! That’s where knowledge is kept!” Judith protested in concern as her sister approached the shelf. “Something could be lost forever.” Patience pulled a random book off the shelf.
“I think the world can do without ‘Bongo the Oddly Chromatic Ape Goes to Kindergarten” She imposed. “I’ll find something and gather water from the lake.” Patience continued, changing the subject. “You look for bottles and a pot or whatever.”
She walked to her sister’s desk and swapped the handgun for the knife. Judith looked up in fright. “If you hear anything, run. Only use it if you have to.” The elder sister commanded. “I know you know the basics.”
“I…” the younger sister stammered. “I don’t want to be someone who uses these.” It had took her mother away. Who could blame her mistrust for such a thing? Patience once again forced a weapon into the hands of her sister, who struggled erratically before giving in.
“You are the soldier now!” Patience declared with a scowl. “You are the hunter and the cook. You are everything now! “she stared Judith in the eye and continued her rant. ”We don’t have luxury to pick otherwise! We do it or we die.”
“Mom told me” Judith mumbled, staring at the instrument of death held in her own hands. “It isn’t how you die that makes you, it is how you chose to live.”
“Nonsense.” Patience balked before walking towards the door. “You’ll change your mind when a fallen is three seconds from ripping out your throat.”
With that happy thought, the 12 year old was left alone. It took her what felt like days to build up the courage to step outside the door on her own, but she eventually did, regretfully grasping the handgun along the way. She slowly crept two rooms over, shaking with each step. She placed her ear against the door, listening for any noise within. Slowly she pushed the creaking door open. A figure suddenly darted behind a desk, scaring her half to death. She held up the gun and waited in silence.
“Mom?” the meek voice a young boy asked from out of view. Judith didn’t know how to respond.
“No.” she eventually squeaked out. There was a moment of silence, then the boy peaked out, placing his hands upon the desk as if he was a knight peering over the battlements. He was a shaggy thing with wild hair and the clothes of someone who had been lost for months.
“Who’re you?” he asked. Judith replied with her name. “I’m Carlos.”
“Nice to meet you.” Judith said with a nod, lowering her gun. “Are you alone?” He nodded back.
“My mom said she’d be coming back.”
“My sister is her somewhere.” Judith explained. “We’re alone too.” Carlos stepped out from his hiding spot. He was a bit shorter than her and likely about the same age. The two kids stood awkwardly and examined one another.
“You want some water?” Carlos eventually asked.
“Yes please!” she replied excitedly. “We’ve been running all day!” Carlos reached back behind the desk that had once hid him and procured a plastic bottle full of clear water. He tossed it to Judith who clumsily caught it with one hand. She took a long drink as if it was the tastiest thing she had ever encountered, water dripping down the sides of her mouth and specking her coat. “Thank you!” she said, wiping her lips.
Meanwhile Patience was outside with a cooking pot she had found in the old kitchen downstairs from the classroom. She approached a small dock that expanded over the lake. The cracking of the boards as she stepped could barely be heard among the rain and thunder. A figure of a woman lay face down at the end. A tourniquet was still tied to her arm, and an abandoned needle lay beside her, a millimeter from slipping between the cracks. Patience grimaced at the sight and the smell, but was relieved to see the belt the corpse wore. She bent down to take it for herself. There was a moan as the corpse lashed out at her hand, sending her stumbling backwards and onto her ass.
She let out a little scream as the pathetic thing looked at her. Her face was still that of a human, but the dead eyes plainly revealed her as one of the fallen, infected dead unable to find rest. The fallen reached out to grab her, wrists still red with dried and crusty blood.
Patience sighed and stood up, carefully grabbed the thing by the hair and drove her knife right through the eye. Suddenly the moans stopped and the body fell limp. She took the belt off and wrapped it around her own waist. It would keep her knife on her side, at least. She looked again at the fallen, still feeling uneasy at its presence. She bent over the opposite end of the dock and filled the pot with water before gently shoving the corpse into the lake and out of sight.
“Good enough.” She mouthed before returning to the building.
“You sure they came this way, man?” a voice asked faintly within the storm. Startled, Patience pressed against the wall, grabbed her rifle from her back and looked around the corner. Three men walked towards the country schoolhouse and it was unmistakable that they were the very same that pursued the Miller sisters.
“Are you a tracker?” another snapped back.
“No.”
“Then fuck off!”
“Calm down you two.” the third interjected. “Let’s just get out of the storm.”
“Fine.” The grumpy one agreed.
Patience screamed an internal string of profanity. She couldn’t let them inside the building. Judith wouldn’t stand a chance! She crouched onto one knee and aimed her rifle at the men who breezily hustled towards the door.
“C’mon.” she grumbled, looking at her shaking hands. They wouldn’t stop however, forcing her to grab her own wrist to calm it down. She put her finger back on the trigger, breathed in deep and squeezed.
The sound blended right in with the thunder and the middle man hit the ground, a new hole having been borne into his head.
“Five.” She whispered to herself.
The two remaining slavers cursed and ran separate ways for cover. The grumpy one diving behind a tree while the other ran for the door. She lead her target and fired as he pulled open the door. The bullet connected with the door, but through a shower of wood the man was just fine.
“Four!” Patience growled through clenched teeth, pissed off at herself for missing. She turned the corner to give chase, but a barrage of bullets ripping into the wall mere inches from her brain forced her back around the corner. She scowled, breathed in and stepped out, firing at the man now leaning against a tree. The bullet hit the tree, causing him to duck behind it.
“Three.”
Patience looked around, quickly finding a window. She smashed it with the butt of her gun, shattering it into pieces, then scraped the bottom of the window frame to clean off any of the biggest shards before grabbing onto the eye-level window frame. She cried in pain as shards of glass inevitably pushed into her palms, but she forced herself to continue pulling herself up and in before dropping into a heap on the floor below.
She winced as she hit the ground and sat stunned for a moment on hands and knees. The door into the room burst open with considerable force and the slaver armed with a hammer made of sharp scrap metal charged into the room.
In desperation Patience pushed up with her hands and fell backwards onto her knees. She swung the rifle off her shoulder and fired from the hip. The slaver hit the floor as Patience caught her breath. She stood up and towered over him. Blood gurgled from the wound in his neck while he looked up at her, eyes begging for mercy. She scowled, for he would find none and she wanted him to know it.
Rifle back over her shoulder she bent down, drew the knife from her belt and let loose a wild cry. She ripped the thing back out of the slaver’s eye and stood for a moment, reclaiming her mind from the flow of adrenaline.
“Patience!” Judith gasped, still upstairs. She dropped the bottle she had drunk dry as she turned to face the sound of gunfire.
“Hey now!” Carlos called out, arms stretching towards the girl heading for the door. “Nothing good happens closer to gunshots!”
“My sister is out there!” Judith explained with an exasperated glance back at the boy she had just met. She gripped her gun tightly and rushed out onto the inner balcony.
As she made her exit, the last of the three men entered the schoolhouse. He spotted Judith and without thought waved his arm upwards like a painter painting a great swathe upon the canvas. The noise of the automatic weapon polluted the stale air, bringing Judith to dive onto the floor. The spray of lead tore straight through the rotting wood of the balcony, sending a shower of wood chips dancing around her.
Patience rushed out of the adjoining room. The man turned fire on her, but she was on him too quick. She pushed her shoulder into his gut as her feet left the ground, sending them both tumbling to the floor. They scrambled to their feet as Judith timidly stood up to watch.
Patience swung her rifle of her should and turned to shoot before even getting her footing. He grabbed the barrel just in time and pushed upwards, causing the bullet to harmlessly embed itself in the ceiling above. She chambered another round and pushed forward with her back arm, pressing the stock of her gun against his ear. Another shot hit a wall, but it was the noise she was weaponizing this time.
“Three, two!” Patience yelled as the man cursed and stumbled backward while holding his ringing ears.
It didn’t give enough time however, as with a beastly growl he rushed Patience before she could finish pulling back the bolt. He slammed into her, smashing them both against the wall.
“You are nothing, bitch!” He screamed, wildly punching her in the face.”Trash!”
He hit her two more times, leaving the bloody and swollen-eyed girl whimpering as she crumpled to the floor in pain. Judith aimed the handgun at his back. She screamed at her shaking hand to pull the trigger, but it would not. The man yanked Patience back up by the collar and pulled back for another punch.
Smack! A can ricocheted off his head. Carlos stood triumphantly upon the balcony, looking down at the man. As he turned to look at him, however, that expression changed.
“Oh god, why did I do that!”
The man let Patience crumple back to the floor and stomped over to pick up his gun. Again he fired wildly, pepper the balcony as the kids stumbled for cover in either direction.
With a crack, the boards beneath Judith gave out and she dropped, desperately grabbing onto the remaining boards as her handgun hit the floor and lay a story below her dangling feet. The slaver aimed up at the hanging girl.
Meanwhile, Patience had stumbled back to her feet, barely able to see through the blood dripping into her eyes. She lifted her rifle as the door opened and yet another man rushed in. Everyone looked at him as he panicked and aimed a handgun at Patience’s heart.
“Boss thought you might be in a bit of trouble, Paulson.” The new arrival said, sweat forming above his brow.
“I will splatter your brains across the floor before he can stop me.” Patience growled at the man named Paulson who stood aiming a gun at her dangling sister.
“Then we can all die together.” He chuckled. Patience’s mind raced, she glanced at Judith and the boy now sidling along the wall to reach her.
“I killed them all!” She forcefully stated, not a hint of fear in her voice. “Not her. Let her go, and I’ll go quietly.”
“Patience you can’t!” Judith bellowed as Carlos crouched down above her and began to help her up. Paulson smiled.
“Sounds like a deal.”
“The boss won’t like that.” The other one growled. “No one gets to live!”
“So we say she’s dead.” Paulson shrugged. “I like my brains where they are.”
“No way!” Judith screamed, now getting back upon her feet.
“This is the only way, Judy.” Patience pleaded, voice starting to waver. “Boy!” She barked at Carlos without taking her eyes off her target. “Take her and run. Keep her safe!” Carlos tugged on Judith’s arm, but she steadfastly refused to move.
“I’m not leaving you!” She cried, tears starting to form in her sister’s eyes. Carlos tugged on her and begged, eventually he drug the sobbing girl down the stairs, picked up the fallen handgun, and disappeared behind one of the many doors. Tears streaked down patience’s face but still her aim didn’t waver.
“Real touching.” Paulson smirked. “Almost brought a tear to my eye.” The three then stood in silence, Patience hoping to give her sister ample time to get away.
Completely defeated, she let her rifle fall to the floor.
