IV - Out of the Shadow
-One Day Later-
"Help!" exclaimed Becky.
The morning sun revealed all the roamers at the bottom of the radio tower. Hana kicked off one of the roamers from the metal bar that she used like a ladder. She made her way up the tower after failing to get down to an opening, and hung on to the metal bar that Becky used to keep herself from falling into the herd.
"Shut up!" exclaimed Hana. "You will catch attention of shindu! Also, no one here but us!"
"There's gotta be something we can do," said Becky.
"I will kill shindu with katana! You stay up here and stay quiet!"
Hana set her foot on the bar below her and took out her katana with one of her hands. Becky looked into the road and found a purple SVU approaching the radio tower.
"Hana, wait! You see that?"
Two men came out from the SVU with assault rifles in their arms and shotguns in their back. They looked around the empty street before standing behind their car doors. Then, they aimed their rifles at the roamers, who were now stumbling towards the armed men. They shot their rifles, landing many headshots before the roamers were able to step onto the pavement.
One of the men placed his rifle on his back and replaced it with his shotgun, continuing the slaughter on the roamers. After a few more gunshots, the roamers were all on the ground.
Hana jumped down with her katana pointed at the men. Becky held onto the cold bar with her arm and used her free hand to aim her unloaded gun at the men.
"We're not a danger to you," said one of the men, "unless you're a danger to us."
"Who are you?" asked Becky.
"Why don't we both drop our guns?" said the man. "Then, we'll tell you who we are."
Becky lowered her gun and placed it on her backpack. She then climbed down the radio tower and hopped next to Hana. The two men lowered their weapons and looked around again.
"I'm gonna ask again–" said Becky.
"I'm Najjad."
"And I'm Joshua," said the other man.
Becky realized that both men had unkempt beards, though Najjad's hair was kept short and Joshua's hair was long and wavy.
"I'm Becky. This is my friend, Hana Konda. We have one more extra member– TWO more extra members back at our base."
"You come here… all the way here… to save us?" asked Hana.
"We didn't aim to," said Najjad. "We thought there was some interference in the radio tower. Turns out there was interference… caused by two girls."
"What are you two doing out here?" asked Joshua.
"We're trying to help out a friend," said Becky. "Do you have medicine?"
"To treat what?" asked Najjad.
The door opened in a certain pawn shop. The black and white tiles were revealed and the desks with antiques and relics stood frozen in place where they were.
Kimi looked up at her companion and wagged her tail. She stayed near a pale-faced, wheezing Luan. She lied on her mattress covered with many layers of blankets, and a friendly box of tissues and a crowbar beside it.
Luan opened her eyes from where the cold air flowed into the shop. She heard four different voices and raised her weakened awareness.
"Not feeling better, aren't you?" asked Becky. "No worries. These men and their group will help you."
Luan nodded softly and reached for Hana's arms. She was placed on her feet and followed the group out of the shop and into the RV.
The RV followed the SVU in the roads of Augusta. Bodies of roamers were stacked on the sidewalks away from the entrances to the buildings. Trash littered the streets and crows hung around the rooftops in search of more corpses.
The SVU stopped in front of a building with a sign next to it, showing a metro map of the Maine capital. Najjad and Joshua exited their vehicles, telling the girls that it was time to follow them on foot again. Becky and Hana held on to Luan's shoulders with one arm each, and with her other free arm, Hana held Kimi.
They walked to a door with a combination lock on it. Najjad unlocked the door and allowed the survivors to hide from the blistering cold. The windows were barricaded with mahogany wood and the door was locked again. Hanging chains and steel beams in the ceiling gave the building a more industrial look.
Becky looked around and found the same metro maps in the walls. Arrows and signs indicated that the building was the center of some kind of subway station. The main stairs led downwards into the lower part of the subway station where they were met with a full height turnstile. A man in the other side lowered his cigarette and looked at the three new survivors- four if including, Kimi.
"You were supposed to check the radio tower, not bring in new people," said the man.
"They need our help, Jax," said Joshua.
"Did you ask 'em the questions?" asked Jax.
"No," replied Najjad. "You know Joshua and I couldn't spot a liar even if they were inches from our faces."
"Questions?" gasped Becky.
"You'll answer three simple questions. The amount of help you're getting is based on how you answer our questions."
Jax held down a lever that allowed Najjad and Joshua to pass through the turnstile. But before Najjad entered, Becky grasped his arms.
"A lotta roamers. Two people. Because I had to protect my group."
Jax released a puff of smoke and kept his mouth open while Joshua was left speechless.
"Come in," said Najjad. "There is someone you're gonna wanna see. Meanwhile, I'll bring you medicine for her."
Becky, Hana, and Luan walked passed through the turnstile and made it inside the rest of the subway station. Survivors wearing ragged clothing, carrying light bags of whatever belonged to them, all filled up the place that they called shelter. The place had a certain smoky and damp smell to it, intensified by the litter in the ground. There were mattresses in the corner of each area, barely a room and some by the subway tracks.
Becky, Hana, and Luan followed Joshua along the walkway of the station parallel to the tracks. They walked into an end of a subway center where a large area surrounded by three walls and a bench took up space. There, the trio saw a familiar face.
"David?" gasped Becky.
His grimy face has not changed, except the lower part of it. A full scruffy beard covered his jaw while his disheveled hair covered his ears. His beanie was unable to cover all of his messy hair.
"Becky…" he said. "Luan. I forgot this one."
"That's Hana Konda," said Becky. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," said David.
"We were looting in the city of Bangor. There was a herd- a big one. Hana drove us all the way here, but it looked like some remnants of the herds split off and found us here. These people saved us!"
Luan coughed.
"Your turn…" she whispered. "Tell us how you got here."
"I needed to find myself," said David. "After what happened in Medway, I just had to leave. I just drove and drove… without direction. It was hard dealing with the death of my wife and my best friend… it still is."
"So these people found you?" asked Becky.
"Indeed we did," said a voice behind the group.
Becky, Hana, and Luan turned around and found a tall man with a dark, wavy mop hair matching the color of his stubble and moustache. His dark brown eyes reflected his skin, and his muscles stretched the sleeves of his gray sweater. His hair and his forehead was wrapped with a yellow bandana, its brightness contrasting against his black pants and muddy boots.
"My name is Waylon Prasad. I'm the leader of this place. And I just wanted to ask you a question. How do you all know each other?"
"Luan and I joined him on a mission to rescue our family."
"Did it work out?" asked Najjad.
"No," answered David. "Their parents aren't alive anymore. This world got to them."
"I can relate to that too well," said Waylon. "What about this one?"
"Found her in the road with her dog. I would've asked the three questions, though it seems that Luan here trusted her very well. Plus, she spoke less English eight months ago."
"I assume the medicine is for this one?" asked Waylon, walking towards Luan with a bag on his hands.
"Yeah," replied Becky. "Might be pneumonia, but I'm not too sure."
"Most likely," said Waylon. "We got a doctor who could help her."
"Forget the medicine then," said Becky. "Take us to this doctor."
Becky turned around.
"Why don't you come with us, David?"
David nodded. He stood up and followed Waylon, Najjad, and Joshua.
"Where are you girls from?" asked Waylon.
"Michigan," said Becky. "Luan and I are from Michigan."
"Tokyo," said Hana as she continued to feed Luan water.
"You girls are a long way from home," continued Waylon. "My parents were from India, but I was born and raised in Portland. A lotta shit happened there and… my wife and I joined this group. I made all of the important decisions, so they made me the leader. Then, we found this place… all built and shit. Looks like someone else was using it 'cause there were a lotta dead bodies."
As the group walked further straight ahead, Becky found the tip of the subway train. He looked around and found people in the abandoned restaurants waiting areas, conversing with each other.
"Are you guys ever going to use the trains?" asked Becky.
"If civilization manages to rebuild itself… we still wouldn't be able to use the trains," said Waylon. "We have to evolve to invent something so great that could power these trains. I think it's safe to say that these trains only serve as a decor."
Waylon stopped in front of an office. He knocked on the door and entered, finding a woman wearing a green dress in the room. She had long, black hair tied up in braids. She wore green pants under her dress as the cold room called for extra layers of warmth. She wore pink eyeshadow and hoop earrings.
"This is my wife, Kavya. She's the doctor that'll be treating you, Luan."
Luan walked inside the office and lied on the giant bed that sat next to a metro map. Najjad passed Kavya the bag of antibiotics and allowed her to treat her patient.
"Have you girls been outside in the cold?" asked Kavya.
"Yeah," replied Becky. "We holed up in a small pawn shop but without a heater and not much medicine… Luan got worse."
"I'll say. Her pneumonia is very bad. She wouldn't have lasted a few more days in this condition."
"Do you people have a base?" asked Waylon. "Is it the town that David mentioned?"
"Houlton? Yeah," said Becky. "It's not just a base. It's home. But I was thinking something."
Waylon and Najjad looked at Becky carefully.
"Can we stay here?" asked Becky. "At least for the rest of the winter and maybe some more? I don't wanna get hit with another snowstorm."
"Sure thing," said Waylon. "David, how well do you think these three can contribute?"
"Very well. We've all been out there in the road. They can pull their own weight."
"Umm… can David and I have a moment together?" asked Becky.
Waylon nodded and stayed in the office with Hana, Luan, and his own men. Becky led David to a bench where they both sat.
"Looks like you're handling this not-being-a-leader thing kinda well," she said.
"You don't know how free I feel without the sack of shit we call responsibility."
"So you won't mind Lori bossing you around? She's our leader by the way."
"Oh, she is? I knew she was gonna have the lady balls to lead the entire community. But if I remember correctly, she seemed a little emotionally unstable the last time I saw her. I mean, she just lost her parents."
"Oh, you missed a lot. She's a little distant, but other than that, she's got it all under control, And Jason been help her and having her back through it all."
Becky looked at David, realizing how concerned he appeared to be.
"You know she's still looking for you, Jason too, right?" said Becky. "Once you come back, we'll be able to take on the ro–"
"I'm not coming back," said David. "I'm sorry but I don't think that would be the best for me at my current state."
"You're– why? We need you!"
"I told you I needed to find myself. I'm not well. I'm not at peace yet."
Becky searched into David's broken eyes. She then closed her eyes and sighed.
"Fine. But what do I tell Lori and Jason?"
"You're not telling her anything about me. You'll tell her that you were holed up in this shelter, but I was never here. And Jason I'm positive he knows I'm here, but he doesn't want to see me, so he doesn't bother telling Lori I'm here because he's still angry with me. If you confront him about this, tell him I'm sorry."
Becky nodded. David stood up.
"Better get comfortable. From what I can tell outside, you're staying here for quite a while. Hell of a winter, amirite?"
Becky nodded again. She walked into the office, leaving David alone by the bench. He looked into his watch and found the hour hand and minute hand both pointing at 12. He walked for quite a bit before returning to his own bed.
-Two Months Later-
Luan looked at her forget-me-not flower necklace and gripped it. Her eyes, filled with determination and hope, searched around the room for David. She carried a backpack along with Becky and Hana.
"You could stay here for a couple more days," said David. "It was nice having familiar faces to talk to."
"It was nice talking to you too," said Becky. "But I'm missing my friends like crazy. I'm excited to see Carol and her baby too!"
"Becky!" exclaimed Luan. "You weren't supposed to bring her up!"
"It's fine," said David. "Young people are bound to make mistakes."
Luan rubbed her shoulder while Becky held out her hand for a handshake. David shook it.
"Are you sure you don't want to return to Houlton?" asked Becky. "Well with the military problem, I'm not even sure if I want to."
"When the time is right," said David. "Losing someone close to you takes a serious toll on your noggin'."
Becky nodded and waved goodbye at David. He waved back as the group followed Najjad out of the subway station.
"Was he talking about me?" asked Luan.
"I-I don't know," replied Becky. "Just let it go."
The group thanked Najjad and his group for their hospitality. They entered the RV and headed out of Augusta in the chilly weather that melted the snow off the face of Maine.
Luan looked out the window and observed the moonset, anxious for the hours to come. She missed her family, and for the third time in her life, she would reunite with them again.
As the hours passed, the trio noticed the burned woods. Many pieces of charcoal lied in the ground by the road. They also found a strange road that led deep into the forest, though they didn't have the time and energy to explore it.
Back in Houlton, the streets were empty, except in the paths that the morning joggers take. Lynn, for example, was jogging around the block near the entrance with a healed leg, admiring the sunrise from the view. She also noticed Lori coming out of Lincoln's home with him, both carrying backpacks. She waved before making a turn at the intersection.
Jason, Dana, and Pike stood on the platform by the front entrance, which was now held up by logs. Dana held her knife out and shook her head as she talked with Jason and Pike.
"I bet I can do it," said Pike. "If I can't, I'll get you both drinks. What do two you like, red wine?"
"I never drink alcohol before, so I'm have no likes or dislikes for it," said Jason.
"I'm not 21 yet, dude," said Dana, handing Pike her trench knife. "But I would like to see you stab yourself in the finger."
Pike laughed and grabbed the knife. He set his hand on a small plank of wood and prepared to stab the space between his fingers.
Dana looked out into the town and noticed Lori and Lincoln walking to the entrance gates.
"Going somewhere?" asked Dana. "Can I come with?"
"Uh, we're just going to collect some firewood," said Lori. "But if you wanna come–"
"No, I'm good. I'll let you two spend some time together! You know, one day, they'll come! And I'll be the first one to see them!"
Lori placed a thumbs-up. She and Lincoln walked out of the gates and closed it, before heading out the road.
"No drinks for you," said Pike.
"No, wait, I didn't see!" smiled Dana.
"Alright, it's a good thing I'm wearing my gloves."
Luna stared at the sunrise and noticed something from the corner of her eye. She aimed at the hill with her sniper rifle and noticed a vehicle driving on the top of the hill.
She zoomed in and realized that the vehicle was Hana's RV. She quickly grabbed her walkie-talkie and turned it on.
"The modern RV! Hana's RV! It's coming down the hill!" exclaimed Luna.
Lori held her walkie-talkie and looked above at the hill. Indeed, there was an RV driving down the road though she couldn't make out the passengers until they got closer.
"Looks like me and my boyfriend are drinking red wine tonight, huh?" snickered Dana before looking out into the hill.
She grew worried as the RV came closer. She held her MSR-10 and glanced at the sunrise, now lighting up the town. Her heart was beating quicker, not knowing who would come out of the RV.
Lori and Lincoln awaited the doors to be opened. Hana came out of the RV, with a blank expression and a dog in her arms, worrying them. Suddenly, Becky and Luan came out of the RV, with wide smiles on their faces.
Lynn looked out the front gates and saw Luna running to where she was. Lynn motioned her to come faster as they dashed towards the front gates. Their sister was home.
"Hey, Dana!" exclaimed Becky.
Dana's mouth was able to form a smile and her heart pounced at a happy pace. She admired the sunrise over the mountains in the distance. She turned her face towards the road and looked down at Becky, Luan, and Hana.
"Surprise!" cheered Becky.
Dana couldn't believe it. Her friend was home. She took a step forward. But suddenly heard movement behind her turned around and saw Jason running to her.
"Get down!" yelled Jason.
Suddenly, Jason tackled Dana as the large crack of a gunshot thundered through the road and nearly struck Dana's head with a sonic noise soaring behind the trail that the bullet took. A splatter of red painted the air as Jason and Dana's body's fell down from the platform and into the cold paved road.
The smiles of everyone watching– Lori, Lincoln, Luan, Luna, Lynn, Becky– all snapped into wide open jaws with expressions of shock as they watched Jason and Dana lie on the ground.
Dana had her eyes closed as she felt a wetness on her cheek. She looked up and saw Jason on top of her, greeting him with her teeth. There was blood leaking from his shoulder; she could see the bullet hole in her boyfriend's shoulder, and more blood was falling on her face.
General Black looked out his scope with his right eye from behind an oak tree. He saw Lori turn around and raise her revolver. He raised his arms and waved it forward.
"Go! Take down their defenses and surround them!" he yelled.
More gunshots followed with the guard towers in the military-zone being shot at. One of the Houlton civilians who was trained under Luna was riddled with bullets. A couple rogues popped out from the woods with their rifles and continued firing into the town.
Lori and the others ducked down. A few bullets smacked the road and forced the small group to hide behind the front bumper of the RV.
The rogues pushed on down the hill, with some firing onto the fences. Pike jumped down the platform and landed on his feet before running away from the fences.
The civilians inside the town were awoken to the sound of gunfire and stayed in their homes. Some of the militia members ran out their homes with guns in their hands, like Sergei, Chunk, and Kotaro. They fired onto the rogues outside the fences.
Captain Moss aimed his grenade launcher at one of the guard towers and shot it. Another one of Luna's trainee tried to leap down from the tower, but it was too late. The grenade blew everything on top of the tower.
Some of the defenders behind the fences were shot and killed as the rogues pushed forward. The rogues rammed their vehicles through the fixed fences and conquered a certain position.
Lori looked towards the hill and shot her revolver multiple times before being grazed in the arm by another loud bullet. She hissed in pain and lied her back against the RV.
Becky grabbed her pistol. She pulled the trigger, only to find it empty.
Dana grabbed her pistol. She fired at the hill with teary eyes, until it was empty and lied her back against the RV and helped Jason apply pressure to his wound.
Lincoln grabbed Lori's revolver from the ground and aimed out into the hill. However, Lieutenant Lead popped out in front of him and smacked the revolver out of his hands. He thrusted the butt of his rifle onto his chest, shoving him to the ground.
Lead aimed his rifle at the group while Brick, Hoover, and Sturgess surrounded them from the other side. A Humvee took Black down the hill.
He exited the vehicles with an M107 in his back and a Desert Eagle in his hands. He walked towards the RV and aimed the handgun at Lori.
"Get up," he said. "Or all these people are gonna die."
Lori pressed on her grazed left arm and stood up. She gasped and stared into the abyss again. She groaned as the nightmares that flashed on and off in her head appeared again.
"We need to talk," said Black. "I know we haven't seen each other in months so…"
Black leaned close to Lori and whispered to her ears.
"...surprise."
.
.
.