IV - Somber Night
"Leni, carry this young man back to the base. Lana, don't take anymore of the other supplies. Darcy, take my hand. Let's go back."
The dark clouds hovered over the group. The campfire moved around, adding to the low amounts of sunlight. Lisa drank her water as Lori scolded her and Lana for taking advantage of Leni's naiveness. Bobby and George were filling up the tanks of the vehicles while they awkwardly stared at the Louds. Lori's voice then started trembling.
"You guys are going to give me headaches in the future. Worrying constantly for you guys is the last thing I wanted to… worry about!"
"You sound like Mom," said Lana.
"Wanna see her? Then don't run off somewhere without adult supervision!"
The young man groaned as he woke up, tied to a tree by a rope wrapped around his arms and chest. The man was sweating since the pain persisted in his buttocks but with less power. Lori, David, George, and Richard were standing above him, casting a shadow on the nervous man.
"Where am I?" asked the young man as he turned his head left and right, checking his surroundings. "Who are you guys?"
"I'm David. And this is Lori. He's George. That's Richard. Don't worry. You're still in the outskirts of Boston. I assume that's where you're from?"
"Yes! What am I doing tied up? What are you gonna do with me?"
"Hey," said Richard. "We're going to be doing the questioning here. I insist you shut the hell up."
"What's your name?" asked George.
"My name's Jake."
"What are you doing out here, Jake?" asked David.
"What do you mean? I'm just trying to survive like everyone else. Like you guys, right?"
"You got a group?" asked Richard. "I know your ass didn't survive out here for three months alone."
"Yeah, I got a group. What's it to you?"
"What were you going to do to my sisters?" asked Lori.
"Your sisters? You mean Leni? Lana? Lisa? Darcy? I aimed a gun to their heads."
Lori looked at David who turned towards Richard. Richard clenched his fist and uppercut Jake's stomach, causing him to groan mid-sentence.
"It was because they stole my shit! My water! My food! All that shit!"
The four of them shook their heads and proceeded to walk away.
"What you don't believe me? Look! Check her bag! Lana's bag! She's got my shit!"
"And that was a reason to threaten LITTLE girls with a pistol?" hissed David. "You're lucky to be alive right now. Might not be that way for longer."
"No, wait! I had to make sure! I had to make sure they weren't going to call you guys back to loot my camp! You gotta understand that shit's running dry these days! I had to call my guys so they could secure my camp! And was I so paranoid? Look where I'm at! Please, don't kill me!"
David, Lori, George, and Richard began walking away. Bobby, Luna, Becky, and Sergei guarded Jake while he remained tied up to the tree.
"I bet it was that little shit, Darcy, that stuck that shit up my ass!"
Richard returned to the tree and punched Jake again, in his jaw. Jake did not pass out, so Richard took out a towel and wrapped it around his mouth. Bobby then took a blindfold out and wrapped it around Jake's eyes. His world went black like the sky above him.
"What do we do with Jake?" asked Lori. "I think we should drive away from here and free him. We literally need to keep him away from our group."
"With what fuel?" rebutted George. "I think the best thing we can do is keep Jake prisoner and exchange him to his group for supplies that we desperately need."
"He's too dangerous," argued Richard. "It'll end up the same exact way it did with Gus back at the bridge in New York. We should kill him. Make it quick but painless."
The group clamored against each other inside the cabin. Lincoln and Clyde agreed with Lori while Luan and Benny knew that George had the best idea. Lynn and Dana found themselves agreeing with Richard, believing that no stranger could be trusted, especially those who threatened the lives of their loved ones. Hours were passing inside the hot cabin, and in those hours, the campfire died out and Becky, Sergei, and Luna entered the cabin to see what the commotion was about.
"It's better safe than sorry!" yelled Lynn.
"But we're dying!" cried out Benny. "We have almost nothing to eat or drink!"
"We can't use him as a bartering tool!" shouted Clyde. "We have to do the right thing!"
"Dumping him miles away from his group is not the right thing!" exclaimed Luan.
"Guys! I'm making the final decision," said David. "That's how it works. I say we follow George's idea."
Some of the group members groaned while others chattered among themselves. There was talk about being able to enjoy breakfast and dinner together in the same day. Bobby heard the commotion but did not enter the cabin. He decided to stay and watch Jake, protecting him from the roamers, rather than protecting the group from him. Richard stormed out of the cabin, catching Carol's attention again. However, she did not want to upset Richard, so decided to stay inside the cabin, knowing that Bobby was outside. David followed Richard out of the cabin.
Richard jogged towards Jake and took out his blindfold.
"Look at me in the eyes. Whatever's going to happen to you in the future, I guarantee you won't be alive to see it. You're up to something, and believe me, justice will find you."
Richard turned around and faced David.
"Do whatever you gotta do, but you'll regret it, man."
Richard then walked away. Bobby was stunned and wanted to ask what his problem was, but David had the stern look in his face when tension was high. He took out the towel from Jake's mouth.
"Listen, Jake. We're going to keep you alive and we'll return you to your group, but you gotta work with us. We need your group to give us some of their shit so we can guarantee your safe return. Said it yourself, there's not a whole lotta supplies in this area."
"Can you at least tell me where I am? I need to tell my group where I'm at."
"You're in the western part of the Blue Hills Reservation."
"Ah, I see. Not too far from my camp then. Can I get my walkie-talkie?"
"Tomorrow. It's been a long day. Bobby, I want you to keep watch until… the sun begins to set. We'll bring him inside the RV by then."
"I got it, sir," said Bobby.
David walked back into the cabin. Bobby was left alone with Jake under the dark skies.
"So, Bobby, right?" said Jake.
"Sup?" Bobby said hesitantly.
"I saw the way Darcy clung onto you. She feels very safe around you. I also saw the look on your face when I screamed her name. You looked very serious and worried. A father's worry. I can assume Darcy is your daughter?"
"You can say that," replied Bobby as he held Lori's golf club to beat a roamer coming out of the woods. "Why is it important?"
"I just wanted to comment on how young you are. You look a year younger than me. I'm twenty, by the way."
"Well, I'm actually two years younger than you if it's August. Lori and I adopted Darcy. Her parents are missing, so we just took her with us. We're actually trying to find her parents, although I believe they died."
"In this world, for sure they did! I got a piece of advice for you," said Jake. "Never let her go. And Lori's your girlfriend? Never let her go, either."
"The truth is, Lori can do fine on her own. She's proven time to time that she can outlive this world. I only wish I can tell that to her father."
Bobby swung the golf club again at another roamer approaching the two young men. Jake looked around and saw an increasing amount of roamers coming out from the woods.
"Hey, let me help you out with the dead ones," said Jake. "There are more dead ones coming, and I want us to stay alive."
"Alright."
Bobby quickly tied a rope around Jake's wrists so that his hands are tied together in front of him. He placed the golf club in between his hands and allowed him to palm it. He then took out his knife and cut the rope that tied him into the tree. Jake stood up and ran towards a roamer, whacking it in the head. He beat it over and over, and looked back at Bobby who inserted his knife into a roamer's eye.
"Have you ever told Lori and Darcy how much you loved them recently?" asked Jake.
Bobby paused. He realized that he hadn't been able to in a while. He never even thought about telling Darcy how much he loved her, like the daughter he never had.
Suddenly, Jake whacked Bobby from behind his skull, causing him to fall down unconscious in the floor. His head was bleeding, but his skull was still intact, since Jake's tied hands couldn't provide him too much strength.
Richard walked out of the cabin, noticing Jake loose from his spot by the tree. Jake dropped the golf club and ran into the woods. Richard grew furious and sped after him, going inside the dimly lit woods. David and Lori came out of the cabin noticing Bobby lying in the ground. Lori gasped as a roamer knelt down to sink its teeth into the young man.
"NO!" yelled Lori, taking out a pistol.
She fired the pistol at the roamer, killing it before it got the chance to bite Lori's love of her life. Lori ran towards Bobby, sighing in relief when she noticed that he was still breathing.
The branches in the woods whipped and snapped. Jake jumped over the barbed wire and quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie with his tied hands before leaving his camp. Richard ran into the barbed wire, stabbing his legs and causing him to trip.
"AHH! Fuck!" yelled Richard. "Come here, you bastard."
Jake panted as he continued running while turning on his walkie-talkie.
"I'm running… to the base. I'm leaving… the west section… of the woods. Oh, what a somber night… if I don't make it out alive! If I don't… kill the little girl! The smart one! The one that knocked me out… with a needle!"
Richard continued to chase Jake despite his bleeding leg. Richard held his Python in his left hand, trying to see where Jake went. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, and noticed branches and twigs snapping and shuffling in the woods a couple meters ahead of him. He continued to run ahead in the woods.
"Help! If I don't make it out alive… get justice for me! First, the little girl! Then… the blond man chasing me! Then… the leader! Oh, fuck!"
Jake fell down into a ditch in the woods. His wrists pressed against the stone in the ground, leading it to its dislocation. He yelled as he rolled onto his back. Looking around for a hiding spot, Jake tried to stand up, but found himself unable to do so. Hearing the snapping of nearby branches, he sweated more intensely and panted heavier.
Richard noticed the ditch in the ground and stopped before he fell to it. He noticed Jake lying in the ditch as helpless as a turtle lying on its shell. He lowered himself into the ditch, standing above Jake. Everything was quiet except Jake's breaths.
"Please! You gotta let me live! I was stupid! I was stupid! Please-"
Richard lifted his Python and shot Jake in the chest. The smoke from the barrel lingered in front of Richard's face before flying away into the wind. The young man's lifeless eyes stared back at him, blood pouring out of his mouth and out of his chest. Richard climbed up from the ditch and walked away into the forest.
"How did this happen?" asked Carol as she pressed a bandage against Bobby's head. "Does this hurt?"
"Yeah, ouch. I think Jake swung the golf club on my head," replied Bobby.
"And I think I gotta swing it again to you as well!" said Lori. "Why would you let him loose?"
"I tied his hands up with a rope! I thought he was going to help me take out the roamers!"
"Well, you thought wrong!" yelled Lori. "Jesus, Bobby, you can't just give a weapon to a prisoner! That's literally stupid!"
Bobby swallowed hard as he turned away from his girlfriend. Richard walked into the cabin. David approached the cabin door and closed it. Lori gasped softly as she rubbed Bobby's head.
"I'm sorry, Boo-Boo Bear! It's just… I'm afraid to lose you. I can't lose you."
"I'm sorry too, babe. I promise I won't do anything stupid like that, again."
Bobby and Lori hugged each other as Carol, with the rest of the group, approached Richard.
"What happened to Jake?" asked David.
"He escaped. But not before I shot him once. He can't be too far off from here."
"Should we look for him?" asked George. "I would feel a lot safer knowing he's back with us."
"Nah," responded Richard. "Chances are, he ran back to his group. And in that case, we need to leave immediately."
Suddenly, a knock was heard in the door. The group looked surprised, taking out their weapons and preparing themselves for an attack. David slowly turned the door knob, and was met with a friendly smile.
"Sorry, were you guys busy?" asked the man in the doormat, holding a police baton.
"Who the hell are you?" asked David.
"I'm Bret. Wow, I never seen a group so large! Usually we find groups of three or five, but there's gotta be at least two dozen of you guys! Of course, we still have the largest group in the world."
"Yeah. Twenty-eight of us. You're only a group of three."
"My group's back in Boston. Although, it's not really a group. We're more like a community. There's a hella lot more people in our community."
"Really? You guys have lots of supplies as well? My group and I aren't faring so well these days."
Bret tied his long hair into a man bun while looking around the cabin. He smacked the leaves off of his green tank top, similar to Lori's 'tank top'.
"You guys are very low on supplies. We have lots of supplies back in our community. Boston has lots of supplies, and it doesn't seem to be running out any time soon."
"That's great!" remarked David. "Do you think we can come with you?"
"Sure, but first, have you seen a young man around this area? His name's Jake and he's got a green t-shirt, ripped jeans, a black watch. He's part of our community, although he was more of the rebellious kind."
"I think we did see him. We encountered him in this cabin, but he ran away from us. He ran away in that direction," pointed out David.
Bret looked back and saw where David was pointing at.
"That's the direction where our community is! Hey… umm, do you guys mind if you help us look for Jake? We're going to walk back to our community and we would like you guys to join us. Would you like to be part of our community?"
"What a very tempting offer, but I'm sorry to tell you that I gotta decline it. Our group's got a different destination in mind, and all we really need is fuel for our vehicles, food, and water. We could help you find Jake, though."
"Oh, that's alright! I'm assuming you're all not coming with us back to our community then!"
"That's right," said Richard. "Some of us gotta stay."
"In that case… Jayden! Watch over the ones who stay! We don't want Jake attacking them all of a sudden!"
Bret and his right-hand man, Mike, walked towards the woods. David, George, Lori, Becky, Dana, Leni, Luan, Benny, Lincoln, and Lisa followed the men. David quickly ran back to Richard.
"You're coming. Just in case."
Lori ran back to Bobby as well.
"You gotta come," whispered Lori. "Don't you want to see this new community?"
"Yeah. We're taking my sister and Darcy with us?"
"Yes. I can already taste the delicious warm meal they have over there!"
Richard, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Darcy followed Bret and Mike into the woods. Jayden watched over Sergei, Carol, D, Wavehead, Luna, Sam, Lynn, Vonda, Clyde, Rusty, Tabby, Zach, Lana, and Lily.
"So, you and the rest of your community are from Boston?" asked Lori.
"Yes. I never got your names," replied Bret.
"I'm Lori. This is my boyfriend, Bobby, and his sister, Ronnie Anne, and our adopted daughter, Darcy."
"Adopted?" questioned Bret. "Before or after the GIE?"
"After. So that term really was used throughout the nation."
"Yeah. Especially by the rogue military. You," said Bret, looking at David, "what's your name?"
"I'm David Jones. This is my buddy, Richard."
"You guys are in the military?"
"We were in the military. I'm a former Marine. He was Army."
"This was years ago, I'm assuming, right? I don't think you guys are associated with the soldiers that handled this whole situation?"
Mike slashed the branches in front of the group with his machete, along with Becky and Dana. David and Lori looked at each other and proceeded to ask him about the one man that is haunting their post-apocalyptic lives.
"Do you know who General Quentin Black is?" asked David.
"I don't have the slightest clue who you're talking about. But I do know who Major Herbert Brown is. He's the commander that controlled the Boston Safe-Zone before he bombed that shit down. Fortunately, he didn't bomb the one building we were hiding in. We got out, and we were able to create the community that we love and value. From the rubble of the buildings, we prospered."
"So, we're in for a walk, right?" asked David.
"We got a van close by. It'll fit all of you. Don't worry."
Luna and Sam looked closely at Jayden, who was sitting at the top of the RV with a cigarette.
"Hey, dude!" called Luna. "Can you do us children a favor and put that smoke down?"
"What's it to you?" said Jayden, with a very deep and raspy voice.
"That shit is not good for our lungs, bro!" yelled Sam. "Especially for the kids!"
"Your campfire is more dangerous than my smoke! Now, leave me the fuck alone and let me do my job!"
"That's not true!" said Luna. "Lisa knows how to make smokeless fire! She wouldn't be a genius if she couldn't do that!"
"So, Lisa's the genius, huh? This whole time, I thought Darcy was the smart one," said Jayden as he was coming down from the RV.
"What the hell are you smoking to make that conclusion?" asked Luna.
"Step back before you start disrespecting me, bitch," hissed the man. "Be thankful that I'm protecting your asses in here! Now, go cook me something or whatever you fucking bitches are good at. This world wasn't made for you to insult me like that."
Jayden climbed up the RV, with the smoke still in his mouth. Luna clenched her fist and walked towards the RV, but Sam grabbed her shoulders and shook her head. Jayden took out the cigarette from his mouth and flicked it at Luna's face, stinging her cheeks for a split second.
"That's it! Come down here, you bloody smoke fucker!" yelled Luna.
Luna shoved Sam's hands away from her shoulders and ran to the ladder of the RV. Jayden jumped down from the RV.
"What the fuck did you say to me bitch?"
Luna swung her fist at his face, causing him to be knocked back to the RV. He touched his bleeding lips and smirked. He lunged towards Luna and punched her in the chest then her face. Luna fell to the ground as Jayden continued delivering blows to her body. She kicked him in his torso and then punched his jaw.
Sam, Sergei, and D attempted to remove Luna and Jayden from each other. Sam and D pulled Luna back while Sergei grabbed Jayden. However, Jayden shoved Sergei away and pulled out his pistol, aiming it at Luna.
"Get on your knees, bitch. Want to be the first victim that bad?"
A flash of light flew across the dark sky as the first thunder boomed in the somber night. A light flickered in the forest as Mike and Bret walked towards it. Richard took out his knife from his pockets and held it tightly as they walked into the source of light.
Three small campfires surrounded a large bundle of sticks, charcoal, and dry leaves. The stones surrounding it were sharp, with a spike pointing towards the firewood. There were nine people standing in a straight line with their guns pointed at the group. Mike and Bret pulled out their pistols and pointed it point-blank at David and Richard. Mike smacked Richard's knife out of his hands and into the ground.
"Welcome to our community," snickered Bret. "Everyone drop your weapons, or we will kill you. We won't hesitate, so do it, NOW!"
Lori and the others removed their guns from their person and dropped it to the ground below them. Bret's group took their weapons and grabbed each person by their wrist until they each surrounded the would-be campfire. Lori knelt down with Leni to her right and Bobby to her left. Another thunder roared across the sky.
A couple gunshots were fired near Lori. The bullets hit the tree behind Leni, causing her to duck to the ground. She whimpered as she kept her head down in the ground.
"Hey, leave her the fuck alone!" yelled David.
"You're the leader, right, David?" said Bret. "Go ahead guys, beat the shit outta him. But don't kill him, yet, he needs to see this."
Mike and the others began to pummel David to the ground, hitting him in the jaw, chest, arms, ribs, abdomen, and every spot where David could bleed from. He groaned as his dog tags were yanked off from his neck. Bret shot above Luan, causing her to shriek and duck to the ground. The next lightning was even brighter and the thunder that followed it shook the earth.
"Stop that!" yelled Lori.
Lori reached into her pockets and took out her box cutter. She dropped her lighter into the ground, where its shiny luster showed a false promise. Bret swung his baton at Lori's arms, smacking the small knife away from her hands. He then thrusted the baton into her chest, knocking all the wind from her. He then spotted the small object in the ground and smiled.
"Just what we needed," chuckled Bret as he picked up the lighter in the ground. "Exactly what we needed! Get back, Lori!"
Mike dragged Lori back to her spot in the ground. Bret then called over his men and women.
"Looters! Enough of the torture and let us go!" yelled Lori.
"I like that name," smirked Bret. "Looters! Stop beating their leader up!"
The Boston Looters walked away from David as he lied in the ground, groaning and covered in bruises.
"Point a gun at this one, then this one…" ordered Bret.
One of the Looters pointed their rifle at Bobby's head, causing Lori's heart to sink. Another Looter aimed their gun at Luan's head. And another at Leni's head. And another at Benny's forehead. The other Looters faced the survivors in the other side of the circle. Another flash of light thundered across the sky. Bret walked towards a certain unlikely survivor.
"What a somber night if Jake died. And this is justice for Jake. There will always be justice in the somber nights for any of our people."
Lisa held Darcy's right hand as Bret pulled her away from her left hand. Lisa struggled to speak against Bret as he forced her to release her close friend. Bobby gulped as the Looter inched closer to him with the barrel aimed at his forehead. Lori's heart sunk even deeper as she felt chills crawl up her spine.
"No!" yelled Lori. "Please! Not her! Bret! Put her down!"
Darcy flailed her arms and legs as she struggled to set herself free from Bret, but it was no use. Bret lit up the lighter, the same lighter with the slow and peaceful flame, and tossed it into the bundle of sticks, creating a large raging inferno. Bret grabbed Darcy's arms, lifted her, her legs moving back and forth, and tossed her into the violent flames. Darcy cried out in agony as her body caught fire in the brutal flames. The little girl cried out for help, help from Lisa, Lori, Bobby, David, from her parents, from anyone. The survivors watched with their jaws left hanging open, as the bloodcurdling scream continued to haunt their ears, the burning flesh running up their nose, the embers prickling their skin, the soot clogging their throats, and the red sight reflecting off their pupils. Lisa closed her eyes and allowed a flow of tears to escape her tear ducts. Another thunder boomed across the sky.
Lori watched the flames devour the girl that she loved and took as her own daughter. Her desperation was crying out to Lori's own desperation as fury, such as the one that consumed Darcy, engulfed the teenage girl. She didn't want to follow Missy's word anymore. She was pushed to the edge in this act of sheer brutality and any hopes of preserving her humanity died along with Darcy's scream.
End Credit Song
Let You Down - Dawid Podsiadło
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