Chapter 7
There should be more people. A lot more people than they are finding. Granted, they haven’t hit a big city yet, but there should have been more cars moving along this road, more traffic moving from one place to the next. All Asher is finding are vehicles that have been abandoned on the road, stopped in the middle of the road, just waiting for the owners to return. The buildings they passed are trashed and pillaged, with nothing left but the remains of those who were killed or a burned out frame of what was.
The lack of life seems to be in line with what they heard on the radio. Tuning from station to station there was no music on any station, no DJ’s, only static until they found one lonely voice.
“I don’t know if anyone can hear me. I hope there is. My name is Tempest. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff out there. I don’t understand what’s happened or why. If you can hear me, know you aren’t alone. Find one another, help each other. Be safe. I’m going to keep broadcasting as often as I can. I’ll try to keep you company in these weird dark times. Just keep listening.”
No head banging rock, no foot tapping country, no wheel drumming classics. Just a scared lonely voice looking for others. It’s a bad sign. As we continue to search through the channels we find one other that’s worse.
“We must join together to protect what’s ours! Those of you who are changed, who have been poisoned and possessed by the devil should run in fear!! Be afraid because we are coming for you and we will kill you! This is the Brotherhood of the Knight, join us or die!”
A bully, that’s who he is. The guy is scared of what he doesn’t understand. Vowing to purge out the demons walking the earth with their devil given gifts to take what God meant for his followers to enjoy.
“He’ll never win that way.” Asher mutters, getting a grunt of agreement from Cosmo.
“Dude’s like that are always trying to take over. They’re all the same.” Cosmo isn’t wrong. History shows them that.
Not all of those with magicks are evil. Some are just trying to figure out what changed, how it happened and why. Some like Asher and his friends were just trying to survive.
The creatures that fly on wings, that slice a man from neck to balls, are evil. Those who can bend wills, who can see what’s to come and try to twist it or create magicks from blood sacrifice are the ones to fear.
Not all magicks are evil. Some are pure. Made from the light, not the dark. Magicks that come from the heart with a purpose to protect, provide and prevent harm are from that light. What this man wants to do is to genocide.
Fear of what they don’t know and hate about what’s happening is what he spreads. It’s the same bigotry and bias that have existed for decades just in different forms. These people are so afraid of what is different from themselves. There are good and bad people in all shapes and sizes, colors and creatures. Just like they saw driving away from the school, not all magicals is bad.
What a fricking idiot!
Cosmo drove them out of town until they ran out of gas. From there they abandoned the car and walked. In the distance, they could hear gunshots in rapid succession, a maniac laugh, loud and crazy, followed by a blood curdling scream. It ended with deafening silence.
They paused and listened for a sign of what could be coming their way. Remaining cautious, they moved to the next building, and tried another vehicle. The further they moved away from the city, the better off they’d be.
Too many bodies were left on the streets. Shot, beaten, and mutilated in cars and buildings, on the street and tossed aside like trash. The smell of rotting flesh made Asher want to gag as he covered his mouth to pass by the worst and push on.
Lexi is made of stronger stuff than he anticipated. She hadn’t complained once and has kept pace with them from the time they left the campus. They scavenged for supplies and food, finding a couple of backpacks in decent shape to carry food, clothes, blankets, first aid supplies, and weapons. This nomad life on the run is new for all of them.
The people that seem to be doing well out here are the Reavers. The bounty hunters, with and without powers who just want to terrorize and destroy everything in their path. They enjoy killing and torturing the innocent. They are the ones to fear.
They headed east and north. Flatter land, open areas, less places for the Reavers to box them in a corner. The idea was to find more people like them. They can’t be the only ones left. Based on what they saw on campus and what they were running into on the road, there’s not many people left. The more they have in their group, the more the defenses they have.
After being on the road for three days the three came upon what was once a small town. Cautiously they wander down the street, checking in windows, testing doors. Asher found a few doors open and carefully checked the inside of the homes. Restocking food and supplies as they came across it, they realized there was plenty of supplies that haven’t been scrounged over.
“You think those Reavers we saw back a ways could be heading this direction?” Cosmo wondered as he walked through a big two story home.
“Could be. We’d be smart to move on and find something a little more off the beaten path. This is pretty open and too easy to surround us. Reavers could drive in from both directions. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be here when they do.” Asher wasn’t afraid of a fight but only when it’s necessary. He’d like to avoid any problems when possible.
“I’m with you there. Let’s poke around downstairs then we’ll skip out of here.” Cosmo suggests as Lexi leads them down into the dark basement.
No flashlight, no candles, the girl just walks down into the dark without a qualm in the world. “It’s safe. Don’t worry. I’d know.”
Her voice comes through the darkness then suddenly a light is shining in Asher’s face. “What the hell!? Blind me, why don’t you!”
“Sorry, I found a flashlight. There seems to be a ton down here we could use if we had a way to carry it to where we’re going.” Lexi moves the light around for us to see.
It’s a treasure trove for the scavenger. There’s canned goods galore, blankets and candles, batteries and lights. A big first aid kit, a camping stove with propane tanks lined up on one side of a wall. Pots and pans, utensils and silverware, plates and bowls. Stacks of mugs and several bottles of whiskey and flats of bottled water.
“We’re these people like the doomsday fanatics or what?” Cosmo picked up one can after another, checking out the goods.
Someone took a lot of time to can and jar fresh vegetables and fruits, jellies and jams. Meat was dried into jerky and air sealed, fruit dried and mixed with nuts in other bags. There’s plenty of food here that would last them a while.
“Whatever they are, we should thank them. We need a truck or SUV to take this stuff. I’m gonna check the garage. Maybe we can get lucky and have a one stop shop today.” Asher hoped.
Heading back up alone, he doesn’t think about leaving them down there for a few minutes to check for transportation. It’s not like he was going far. Taking the steps two at a time up, he works his way through the main house looking in rooms as he goes.
There’s all kinds of cool stuff they could use . They could easily stay here and be fine for weeks before needing to look for supplies. The problem is that the Reavers are too close for comfort. There’s no telling if they are heading their way. A couple miles away from here would be best.
Opening the garage door, Asher finds a Suburban waiting inside. It’s his lucky day. Now if he can just find the keys. Searching for a keyboard or something like that where people leave their keys, Asher comes up empty. Walking into the kitchen frustrated, he looks around and sees a simple clear crystal bowl with the single key laying in it.
“It can’t be that simple.” Muttering to himself, Asher swipes the key and hurries out to the garage. He pushes the door lock button and hears the double beep. A slow grin creeps onto his face. “Yes!”
“Times a wastin boys and girls! I’ve got the transportation waiting in the garage for us.” Jogging down the stairs in a hurry now to get gone from this place. Asher gets the feeling they have been there too long.
“Get moving fast, be on your guard,
If you’re not, They’ll hit you hard.
Gather up and gather strong,
You will die if you pick wrong.
Match your gift for strength and fire,
Dewin will train for all’s dire”
Just as Asher reaches the bottom of the stairs, Lexi collapses in her brother's arms. His big green eyes widen as he looks up at Asher. “You catch all that? I don’t think it was for me.”
Asher wasn’t sure what to make of everything Lexi said. She wasn’t much help once she got some color back into her cheeks and her eyes weren’t so glazed. “I don’t always remember what I say. I have no control when the visions hit me. It would be good if you boys don’t leave me alone, just in case it happens again.”
“Yeah, cuz we plan on ditching your ass as soon as we can!” Even through the sarcasm, Asher knew Cosmo was worried about her. If they are attacked while she’s having a vision, they could seriously be screwed. Finding some more people they can trust and are on their side would be a good idea right about now.
Quickly they loaded up the SUV and got out of there. It might suck down gas and drive slower than what they like but they have the mother load of supplies now and can get further away much faster than walking.
Heading further east and into the mountains they found cabins spotting the hills and tucked into valleys. If they can find one just out of the way, that will do for a little while to hole up.
Driving around a curve, Asher swears if he had been doing the speed limit he would have missed it. A tucked away dirt road leading deeper into the forest. Hidden by trees and far enough away from the main road, they found a small cabin. Slowly rolling the car forward, Cosmo and I kept their eyes out for anyone looking to take a shot at them.
“Drive around back! Hide this big ass tank.” Cosmo ordered as Asher shook his head at the demand. The guy was starting to freak out. Asher didn’t see why. Cosmo is the one that changes into a panther. His weapon is him. From what Asher can tell, he doesn’t have any power like Cosmo or Lexi.
Parking in the back as ordered, they found a back door, convenient for unloading purposes and a creek. The water might come in handy if there’s no running water in this place. For some reason, Asher is confident they will be camping from here on out.
“It’s not bad.” Lexi leans forward between us to look at our prospective accommodations. “I can put a protection spell around it I think. At least I feel like I’m supposed to do that for you.” She looks at Asher and her eyes go opaque again.
This is not the best time for another one of these visions .
“Nature’s energy hear this call,
Hear no voices beyond this wall.
See no faces outside our ring,
Lift no air above our wing.
Let this circle now uphold,
As the Goddess has foretold.”
Lexi looks drained and weak but she pushes on, getting out of the car and up the steps of the cabin. We leave the supplies for the moment to check things out.
Lexi flips the switch by the door. “No power and no running water. You boys better be good with cold baths in the creek for a few days.”
Cosmo and Asher, only grunt out a response and dump the contents of their arms on the table before they head out for more. Lexi begins to work on putting their temporary home in order. After several trips to the car, they brought everything inside of the cabin to keep it safe from looters. Lexi began taking inventory of what they had to work with.
“Well, we aren’t in bad shape for the time being. We’ve got enough food for a couple weeks as long as we ration it out. I think we’ve got the basic necessities for first aid but if anyone has anything serious happen, we’ll be screwed. Also we need to find someone with medical training to hook up with us. Either a doctor or healer, it doesn’t matter which.” Lexi sat across from Asher at the kitchen table while Cosmo kept moving through the house, watching the windows for movement.
“I don’t mind hooking up with a nurse or nursing student but we need to be careful who we approach.” Smelling the jerky before putting it in his mouth, Asher can barely stomach the smell, much less bite off any of the meat. It is hard as rock.
“I don’t think she means for you to hookup with someone, Asher.” Cosmo grumbles, gnawing at his own jerky.
“Ha!” He wasn’t exactly thinking on those lines but wouldn’t turn down the opportunity if it presented itself. “What I meant is we need to find people that aren’t Reavers to join us. Finding some people with some skills would be handy.”
Poking at the last of his food, Asher wasn’t really interested in finishing his dinner. He can go without a meal tonight. His mind is on more important things, like getting through the next few weeks without getting killed.
There’s jerky if we can’t find anything else but there is that creek and it has fish in it. Asher used to go fishing with his dad occasionally. He’s willing to give it a try. Anything, to not have to eat the jerky again.
They found a couple shotguns and there’s a forest full of animals. He was willing to try hunting. The boys didn’t know enough about wild berries and mushrooms to risk picking the wrong ones but Asher was willing to bet Lexi knows which ones are safe to eat.
They can put their heads together on it tomorrow. Asher was exhausted and ready to call it a night. Tuning out the conversation, he felt something odd. Something inside him heated, from his toes up to the top of his head. Sweat beads popped out along his brow as Asher looked around for a window to open.
“Okay. So where should we look?” Lexi’s tiger eyes stared into Asher’s like he should have the answer. He didn’t want to admit he wasn’t exactly listening to the conversation.
Looking at her then Cosmo, Asher saw the same expression on his face. They’re looking for a leader, someone who is strong and smart, someone who has resources and knows people that can help them. Asher wasn’t a leader in anything but baseball. He’s never been good at taking a leadership role and succeeding but he agreed with them a leader is needed.
“I think we should find a leader, maybe someone with a military background who can teach us to fight back against the Reavers. We need to find more people. Maybe they’ll know something about medical care too.” He suggested but Cosmo shakes his head at this.
“Dude, I’m not joining some army or taking orders from some fool. We work together as a team and we find people we can help, who can help us too. Maybe we’ll find someone who can actually do something about this nasty ass shit for food.” Cosmo tosses the can of beans in the trash and looks out the windows again. “We’re leaders. We don’t need a new one. Medical help is smart though, we need that and a cook.”
They agreed to take care of the basics before calling it a night. Splitting up the chore list, they got to work. Cleaning up the kitchen and organizing the cabin for the three of them to share. One room they loaded with supplies while the other they agreed was Lexi’s. Cosmo and Asher flipped a coin for the couch.
They needed clean water to wash up and drink. Cosmo took that chore, using the empty jugs from the kitchen to haul it in. Asher scrubbed the bathroom down when Lexi refused to use it until it was cleaned. Lexi took out what they would need for the night. Flashlights, blankets, snacks and bottles for water. Then restocked what was used from their bags.
It didn’t take long for Lexi to finish up and get to work on a spell to hide them. Cosmo loaded a shotgun and passed it to Asher. Not that Lexi’s spell wasn’t enough security for them. They just don’t know how well it would work and if it will actually keep them hidden if they have company.
Asher watched out the window as Cosmo finished his last trip to the creek. The back of the cabin faced a line of trees that got thick and dark the further you looked into the forest. If anyone was coming through there, he couldn’t imagine where they’d be coming from. There's a thick wilderness behind the cabin and one dirt road coming in the front. It was easy to watch for anyone coming up but not so great if they needed to run.
Walking in the back door, Asher dropped a load of firewood by the fireplace and dusted off his hands on his jeans. Cosmo brought in the water jug and Lexi went to get ready for bed. It had been a long few days of travel. Cosmo kept a close eye on his sister knowing she’s more scared than she is letting on. Her eyes drooped as she went into the tiny bathroom to clean up.
“She’s stronger than she looks.” Cosmo says without looking in Asher’s direction. “She’ll hold up after some sleep. She’s tired, the visions and that spell took a lot out of her. Drains her energy. Magicks come at price, that’s what the movies say. I guess sometimes it’s a physical cost.”
“And if we’re fighting off some Reavers and she gets a vision right in the middle of a fight, what does she do to restore and protect herself then? How do we protect her and ourselves?” It’s something they need to consider before the situation happens.
“We work on it. All of us have to study up quick-like. We need to understand our magicks before we go anywhere. Or were gonna get our asses handed to us. And you need to figure out what yours is. Get some shut eye, Ash. We all need to stay on our toes here.”
As the sun went down and they got ready for their first night at the cabin, candles were lit, blankets were snuggled into and they ate jerky and over-sugared canned fruit. Tired from the drive and exhausted from the adrenaline rush Asher collapsed on the couch, winning the coin toss for the first night’s sleep.
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