Fury Rising (16 page)

“What do you mean?”

“The Baggers.” Marvin took several deep breaths before continuing. “They’re on the run. Not a single causality. This isn’t an attack, it’s something else.”

Aries frowned. What else could it be? She scanned the area and spotted two Baggers racing away from the camp. No one chased after them. Just like Marvin said, they were retreating on their own.

“It’s just as good,” Marvin said. “Because if they’d stayed to fight, we’d all be dead right now. Everything went to shit in less than thirty seconds. Nothing but pure panic. We’re not ready for this. All these people here. Not one of them are fighters. None except you kids and that’s a problem.”

“They’ve got to learn,” Aries said.

“Look around.” Marvin waved his hand. “All that damage you see? The destroyed tents? It wasn’t the Baggers that did it. They were running around with their heads cut off. I told you, Aries, they’re not ready. I told you that months ago. We need an emergency meeting tonight. We can’t stay in the city anymore. Time to head north. Get as far away from the Baggers as we can.”

“It’s not any safer in the mountains,” Aries argued. “The ferals are everywhere.”

“Rumors,” Marvin said. “Just a bunch of baloney to keep us in our place. Leonard Mack says he used to work on the ferries. Says he can still operate. If we can get one of those boats, we can sail right out of here. Head for an island.”

That wasn’t actually a bad idea. Vancouver Island would be out of the question. It was too big and probably Bagger infested. But what about Bowen? Or one of the smaller ones? What about Powell River and further along the coast? And why the hell hadn’t she thought about it before. Aries sighed. Either way, it wasn’t a conversation they should be focusing on at that moment. It would have to wait for another day. First they had to figure out what had just happened.

She looked down the path towards the Lighthouse Keepers’ house. A small group of woman had come together to comfort each other. She checked the faces of everyone, wondering why they hadn’t even tried to fight; relieved to know they were still alive. But the worst part was Aries was furious at all of them. They were all empty handed. Not a single one of them had picked up a weapon.

Aries would have fought without hesitation. She would have died for all of them. She would have done it because Clementine and Michael would be back in a few hours. She knew Daniel would find Mason and Raj and make it out. She would have fought so that Jack and Joy could have their baby, Larissa could continue her studies and that Colin would eventually find the absolution he needed.

Her friends. The good and the bad.

And more than anything else, Aries would have fought to stay alive so they’d all have someone to come back to.

Clementine

Andrew opened his mouth and a huge wail came out.

Oh god, he was going to get them all killed.

Clementine instantly dropped to her knees and tried putting her arms around the small boy. But the kid wasn’t having any of it; he simply shoved her back and continued to howl.

The footsteps were getting louder. The Baggers were officially in the building. And they didn’t care who heard them. From the front of the store, they appeared to be smashing every single window. Earlier she’d seen a large display of kitchen glassware and she was pretty sure the whole thing had just been torn down. Hopefully their noise would cover the sounds Andrew now made.

They had to take cover and quickly. It wouldn’t be long before the Baggers made their way into the aisles. Even if their intentions were to destroy the store, they would notice a group of children cowering beside the sugar cereals. And if they didn’t stop Andrew, no hiding spot in the world would save them.

“Come on, Andrew. It’s okay, honey. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you.” She racked her brain, trying to think of other things to say. How do you get a terrified child to stop sobbing? Should she hug him? Pick him up? Meanwhile, Andrew showed no signs of slowing down. Big tears fell down his cheeks and his eyes stared off into space. She wasn’t even sure if the child could see her anymore. How could she be this bad at this?

Michael joined her, speaking to Andrew, but he didn’t have any more luck. Desperate, he stuck out his tongue and tried making funny noises.

Clementine was on the verge of telling Michael to knock the kid unconscious when Janey finally stepped forward and gave Andrew a smack across the face.              

“Stop it,” Janey said. “I told you last night. You need to not cry.”

Unbelievably, Andrew closed his mouth in mid yowl. 

“You can’t just…” Clementine paused. She’d been about to reprimand Janey about hitting kids, but there wasn’t time for a lecture and the damn thing worked. She glanced at the others to make sure no one else planned on erupting, but they all appeared subdued.

They went through this last night, Heath. This is an old game to them. Like skipping rope or playing tag. The rules have already been explained. They know better than to scream. It only brings the boogeyman that much quicker. That’s what’s wrong with the world. It’s not that monsters are real. There have always been monsters. But these children shouldn’t know that. They’re supposed to be still tucked in at night. Playing with friends. Catching fireflies in a jar. Not hiding away in a mall while the Baggers close in.

“Turn off your light,” Michael whispered.

She looked down dumbly at her hands; surprised to see she was still holding a flashlight. Clicking the button, she plunged them into semi-darkness. Andrew made a hiccupping noise and Casey grabbed hold of her shirt.

“We have to be quiet,” she whispered. “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here soon. We just have to wait for them go away.”

But from the noise coming from the front of the store, Clementine didn’t think the Baggers planned on moving on anytime soon.

“Come on,” Michael said. “We got to get to the back.”

Clementine knew what that meant. They would have to hide in the storeroom. But without electricity, the place would be a pitch-black maze. Much darker than where they cowered now. It might be their only chance of remaining undetected. The Baggers wouldn’t likely bother when the aisles offered enough sustainment. At least that’s what Clementine hoped. Either way, they couldn’t stay in their current location if they wanted to survive.

Michael led the way and Clementine pushed the kids behind him, leaving herself last to bring up the rear. Janey walked in the middle, holding Andrew’s hand tightly. A few of the other smallest kids clung to her like glue.

I don’t even know all their names, Heath. Five kids and I haven’t even bothered to ask. What’s wrong with me? Some mother figure I’m making. Janey has outshone me and she’s a good six years younger. I can only imagine what Mom would say. This is a lot different than babysitting, not that I was any good at that. Remember the time I tried taking care of the Olson’s newborn daughter? I never told you or Mom this, but I couldn’t even do it right. Mrs. Olson left the baby on the couch and told me she’d be fine there. She’ll sleep all night, she said. Well she wasn’t. She rolled off the damn couch and hit the floor. That’s why I never went back again. I thought I killed her. I swore I’d never have a baby. Now I have five kids and one of them thinks she’s a forty-year-old adult. And the worst part is, she’s doing a hell of a better job than I ever could.

How was she going to pull this off?

As they moved towards the back of the store, she could hear the Baggers closing in. They were already in the electronics department, knocking over the televisions from the sounds of it. She heard a sound to the right, a few aisles over, someone running full speed towards the back. Clementine paused. Were they were being surrounded? Had the Baggers heard Andrew? She held her breath and waited, but the racing Bagger didn’t appear. The space in front of them continued to remain clear. Casey’s hand tightened on her wrist, the poor little girl squeezing for dear life. Clementine wanted to reach down and comfort the girl, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. As tense as she was, she worried that it would only make Casey worse.

The back of the aisle grew dimmer until they were almost in absolute blackness. Although her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, she could barely make out any shapes at all. She clenched her flashlight tightly in her fingers, resisting the urge to turn it on every time she heard a noise. The shadows danced and played tricks on her mind.

“Wait here,” she whispered to Casey. She shook herself free of the child and went over to Michael as he crouched down low. Together, they peered around the corner. She could make out the occasional shape moving in the distance. But none were close enough yet. Most of the noise seemed focused in the entertainment section. The Baggers seemed content enough with destroying the electronics for now.

“There.” Michael pointed off to the side where Clementine could make out a set of big double doors. “If we can get there, we can hide. Maybe even find an exit. There’s got to be a loading door.”

“Can we do it?” It was only fifty feet, but they’d be completely exposed.

“If the kids stay quiet.”

Both Clementine and Michael turned to look at Janey. She knelt on the floor, surrounded by five children, her face full of determination. 

“Janey,” Michael began.

“I heard you,” the small girl snapped back. “I’m not stupid and neither are they. Stop pretending I’m not here.”

“You’re right,” Michael said. “We’re all in this together. Now come on, follow me.” He turned to Clementine. “I’ll go first. Once I’m there, I’ll signal you. Send them over one at a time.”

He disappeared before she could even give him an answer.

Clementine didn’t like this. Michael had no right making the decisions like that and then leaving before she could even agree or disagree. They should have gone together. One at a time would take too long. She shouldn’t have let him go. She should have yanked him back. Reminded him that they were a team and supposed to work together.

Yeah, sit down on the floor and have a big discussion about the best escape route. Why not include the children too? I’m sure the Baggers will wait it out until we come up with a plan.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

She couldn’t fault Michael for acting. He did that more often than not, but with him, it tended to work. Most of the time.

Sadly, this wasn’t one of those times. Although Clementine could see where Michael had disappeared, she couldn’t see
him
. The spot where he’d crouched down by the loading doors was covered in shadows. Clementine could barely see anything, let alone a signal. Sure, Michael must have a better view of the store, but it was useless to her without the communication. Seconds passed and Clementine realized she’d have to make the decision herself. She had no choice, but to send Janey. But one at a time? Not possible. From the look on Janey’s face, the girl agreed.

“I can’t let them go alone,” Janey snapped. “Your boyfriend is dumb. I’m not doing it.”

“I agree,” Clementine said. “You go. Take Andrew and two others. I’ll take Casey and whoever is left.”

They looked over towards Michael, but still couldn’t tell if he was motioning them or not. Clementine squinted. He might be waving his hand, but she couldn’t be certain. From the distance in the darkness, Michael was a big shadowy blob.

“I can’t see him,” Janey said.

He’s there, I think,” Clementine said. But now that she thought about it, she couldn’t even say for sure if it was Michael. What if they were looking at a display? Or a Bagger? What if she sent these kids to their death?

She scanned the area, listening for sounds of nearby Baggers. A crash came from behind her and when she turned, she could see two shapes move into their aisle. They had to go now before they were spotted.

“Here.” Janey pulled her knife out of her pocket and thrust it into Clementine’s hands. “You take it. I need to keep hold of the kids.”

She almost refused, but thought better. Janey was right. She’d do a better job keeping the little ones in line. Clementine was the stronger and more experienced when it came to fighting. She knew how difficult it must be for Janey to hand over her weapon like that. It indicated trust. Janey had just put all their lives in Clementine’s hands.

“Okay,” Clementine said. She pointed in what she thought might be the right direction. “Together. Come on.”

She did the exact same thing Michael did. She grabbed Casey and another little girl and didn’t even bother to check if Janey planned to follow. Now wasn’t the time for a debate. If any of the children refused to listen, they’d pay the price. Janey obviously agreed, because she passed Clementine quickly, her arms spread out to keep Andrew and the others in front of her.

They moved forward, keeping low to the ground, and as fast as they dared. Something darted out of the corner of her eye, a Bagger about thirty feet away. But instead of charging them, it turned and raced towards the produce section.

The darkness was turning out to be a blessing. Although the store was full of Baggers, they couldn’t see her anymore than she could see them. Another ran straight past them, not even noticing, heading straight to a pickle display. It knocked the whole thing over and the scent of dill filled the air. Clementine watched as the Bagger slipped in the pickle brine, toppled down, smacked its head on the floor and knocked itself unconscious.

They’re acting weird, she thought. Different than Baggers normally act. They’re not looking for supplies. They’re here just to destroy the store. Those pickles could have fed them for months. It’s like they’re not thinking at all. 

It’s like they’re…

No.

Baggers that killed Baggers.

“Come on, Janey. Run.”

Clementine yanked Casey into her arms. She reached down and grabbed Andrew, scooping him up too. Janey didn’t complain. How she managed to get those kids to follow unconditionally wasn’t Clementine’s concern, but she was thankful as hell that Janey was there. They raced straight for the back, Clementine praying silently to herself that they were going the right way. She finally saw a shadow waving at them from the left and she pushed herself into Janey to get the child to change direction.