Fury Rising (19 page)

              “Holy crap, lady,” Daniel said, rubbing his face. He gave her a big smile to suggest he was impressed with her powerful right hook. “Way to say hello. I’ve missed you too.”

              “I’m just getting started,” Aries said. She turned and knelt down beside the table, putting her hand out for the trembling dog to sniff. “You poor thing. Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.” The dog gave her fingers a tentative lick. “Where’d you find her, Raj?”

              “Pet shop down on Denman,” Raj said. “Her name’s Cleopuptra.”

              “She’d adorable.”

              Mason ran his hand across his chin, acting like he was checking for stubble when he was really trying to hide his grin. Of all the reunions he’d dreamed about over the past few months, he hadn’t foreseen that happening. Obviously neither had Daniel, or he might have ducked.

              “It’s been a long time, Aries,” Daniel said. “I think maybe we should talk. If you want to keep hitting me afterwards, fine. But hear me out first.”

              “No,” Aries said. “I’ve got nothing to say you.”

              “But—”

              “No,” she repeated. “This isn’t about you, okay. The camp has just been attacked. Half the people ran off and the other half is terrified. No one did a single thing they were supposed to do and I’m lucky that everyone is still alive. I’m a little busy. I don’t have time to listen to your stupid apologies. Enough already.”

              A cold silence came over the room. Even the dog stopped panting. Mason watched Joy and Jack exchange worried looks.

              “You’re right,” Daniel said. “There are far more important things to worry about. And that’s why I’m here. We’ve got a situation.”

              “You think?” Aries snapped. “Baggers just tore apart our home. I don’t know how they found us, but they did. And instead of fighting, everyone lost it and ran. There’s nowhere else to go. Do you get that? I’m tired of running. We all are. How many safe places can we set up before the Baggers come and knock them down? Jack thinks this is just the beginning and I agree.”

              “Colin,” Mason said.

              “What about him?”

              “He was at the Plaza this morning. Talking with Leon. He sold you out.”

              “You saw him?”

              “No,” Mason admitted. “Not me. I heard it from someone else. But Karen’s reliable. She heard him called by name and gave me a description.”

              Aries frowned and turned to Jack. “When did you see him last?”

              Jack thought it over. “Yesterday.”

              “Are you sure?”

              “Yes,” Joy said. “He told me I was getting fat. Made some stupid joke about me eating for triplets and that I’d be waddling before long.”

                “Was he acting funny?”

              “No, I’d say he was his usual charming self.” Joy reached out and took Jack’s hand. “He’s been quieter this week though, hasn’t he? Not quite as snarky. He’s probably been planning this for a while. Well I hope he’s happy going over to the other side. He’d better not come back.”

              “We don’t know for sure if it’s true,” Aries said. “So let’s not jump to conclusions just yet.”

              “Hard not to,” Joy said under her breath.

              Aries went over to the drawer by the door and opened it. Pulling out some batteries, she handed them to Larissa.

              “Go see if you can find him. Give him these if you do. Tell him we got an extra surplus if he’s suspicious. Ask him to help with the cleanup, but don’t make a fuss if he refuses.”

              “Okay,” Larissa said.

              “I’ll come too,” Joy said. “Bring the first aid kit. We’re gonna need it.” She turned to leave but paused. “What about tonight? Maybe we should wait until tomorrow.”

              “No,” Aries said. “It’s still on. I’m not letting those bastards take that away from me.” She reached out and touched Mason’s shoulder. “Eve died last night. We’re having a memorial. Put her to rest. I hope you’ll come.”

              “How?”

              “Pills.” Aries paused. “Please don’t hate her.”

              “No,” Mason said. “Never. And yes, I’ll be there.”

              He hadn’t known Eve very well. Her brother, Nathan, had been cool. Maybe if Mason hadn’t been so determined to ignore everyone, he might have gotten to know them better. But that was kind of the point, wasn’t it? Best never to get emotionally involved. When you kept losing the people you loved, it made it easier to simply stop caring. At least that’s what he kept telling himself. Sadly, no matter how many walls Mason tried to throw up, others kept tearing them down. Aries. Casey. Even Daniel, although he’d never admit that one to anyone.

              “I’ll let everyone know,” Joy said. “Dusk.” 

              Aries reached out and touched Joy’s sleeve before she could move. “Be careful,” she said. “They still might be out there.”

              The two girls left quickly, relieved to get out of the tension building up inside the little kitchen. Mason went over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. He held it up to Aries and she nodded back, so he opened it and took a long drink.

              “Want me to go too?” Jack said.

              “No,” Aries sat down on the chair and pulled out some paper and a pen. “I need you here. Raj?”

              “On it,” Raj said. He bent down and gave Cleopuptra a treat. The dog looked up at him with puppy-love eyes. “I’ll introduce her around. Good for morale. Everyone loves a dog, even one that needs a good scrubbing.”

              Jack joined Aries at the table. Daniel leaned up against the wall, he didn’t seem to want to get too close and Mason didn’t blame him. It was hard to tell if Aries was still in a fighting mood. Mason left his water on the counter and went over to take a seat.

              “I know we should wait until Clementine and Michael get home, but I’m not sure how much time we have,” she said. “If we have to start evacuating people, we should start now. We’re going to have to split them all up too. We have nothing that will hold everyone. There’s about ten safe houses set up and only a few of us know all the locations.”

              “They’ll just follow us,” Jack said. “They pulled back for a reason. They were casing the place. Wanting to see how protected we are. And all we’ve managed to do is let the Baggers know we’re a bunch of unorganized idiots. It won’t be long until they attack again and I think we need to stand our ground. Keep our numbers together. You said it yourself, this place is worth fighting for.”

              “That only works if everyone is willing to fight. And we screwed up. When the others find out we got Mason and the children back, they’re gonna blame us. They’ll say it was our fault that and that the Baggers retaliated.” She rubbed her temples with her fingers for a long time before continuing. “Maybe it’s best if I leave. Everyone keeps saying it’s me Leon wants. If I go away, he’ll have no reason to attack.”

              “That’s not the answer, Aries,” Jack said. “We’ve talked about it. I’m not letting you go. Besides, it’s no guarantee that they’ll stay away.”

              “There’s no doctors here. Technicians. Whatever the hell the Baggers want, it’s not here. These people can’t offer anything of importance. They just want to be left alone to survive. But if I leave, problem solved. Do you really think they will care if I go? They’ll probably be relieved, not having to deal with me anymore. I’m sure Juan will give me a gun. I know how to shoot now. I’ll be good.”

              “No. And they do care. I care. Joy. Clementine and Michael. We are not letting you go off on your own.”

              “I won’t be alone. Mason, will you come with me?”

              Mason had been picking at the dirt under his fingernail. He paused and looked up. Of course he’d go. That had been his prime fantasy for the greater part of the past few months. Back when they’d been living in Shaughnessy, he’d thought about asking her every night to run away. But he’d never said a word. Aries might be wallowing in self-pity at the moment, but she’d never leave the others. These people were her family and Aries needed to be with them as much as they needed her.

              But Mason also knew how difficult it was to be the person in charge. He’d watched Aries slowly fall apart over the pressure. And she wasn’t improving. There were worry lines on her forehead that hadn’t been there before. Her eyes had lost some of their light. She looked like she wasn’t sleeping. Was she still plagued by nightmares? Aries greatest fault was that her heart was too big. Because of this, she’d never stop fighting to make the world safe again, even if it killed her in the process.

              “If you want me,” Mason said. “But we take Casey too.”

              “Then it’s settled,” Aries said. “We leave tonight. Once Clem and Michael are back.”

              He looked over at Daniel, waiting for him to intervene and tell Aries about the ferals. They’d formulated a plan on the drive over. A way to go in and rescue everyone stuck inside the Plaza. Because Daniel was positive that if they didn’t help, the Baggers would be overrun by the ferals and everyone would die.

              “Go north,” Daniel said. “That’ll be your best chance.”

              And that was it. Daniel wanted Aries safe as much as Mason. Maybe even more. Mason understood. It wasn’t that Daniel didn’t care about getting the people out. He’d go through with the plan no matter what. But if it meant keeping Aries alive, he’d keep her in the dark until she left. Mason met Daniel’s eyes and he understood completely.

              But could Mason do it? Could he leave and hope that Daniel could get the job done without him? He wasn’t so sure.

Clementine

              “Oh god, Michael. No.”

              Blood everywhere. Soaking through her shirt, her pants, seeping into the concrete beneath them. Her arms around Michael, pulling him tighter, trying to stop the bleeding as it poured from of the jagged hole in his chest.

              She was vaguely aware of the children around her. Janey and Casey leaned up against the loading door, as if they honestly believed their tiny bodies might offer some leverage if the Baggers tried to break through. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

              “Come on, Michael.”

              Clementine held him.

              “Don’t you leave me. Don’t you dare…”

                                                        *              *              *

              She sat at the bus stop, staring out across the street.

              Clementine couldn’t go on. There was nothing on earth that could compel her to move any more. She’d lost the will to do anything and it was unlikely she’d ever find a reason to fight again. The children seemed to understand. They waited around her like lost sheep. None of them said a word. Even Janey sat quietly beside her, sitting on her hands and staring solemnly at her feet.

              There was nothing to say.

              Michael was dead.

              The tears fell freely and she didn’t even try and hold them back. Everything inside her hurt. She was broken. The pain wouldn’t ever go away. When she closed her eyes, she saw him stumble down the stairs and into her arms. She’d seen the fear in his face as he struggled to speak, the wet sounds as Michael fought for each breath.

              “No, oh no, oh no.”

              He never said a word. He didn’t tell her he loved her. He didn’t get the chance to beg her to continue on and never give up the fight. No caressed cheeks or final goodbyes. No whispers or holding hands. There had been one great gurgling gasp and then nothing. All the light, spirit, and energy, the multiple things that kept Michael alive—gone from his eyes in less than a second.

              And the worst part? She’d left him there. Left his body on the ground like a sack of potatoes. His body would smell as it rotted, attracting wild animals looking for a free meal. And even if she managed to go back and get him after the Baggers moved on, would she want to see him like that?

It’s not like they’d been given a choice. With the feral Baggers inside the mall, they had to run. And they couldn’t go back to get the van either. They would have been spotted in an instant if she tried herding five children across the parking lot. Clementine managed to push them back towards Lougheed Highway. She kept it together. Calm headed and in control. Now that they were a good half-mile away, she’d earned her right to fall apart. There was no putting her back together again.

              She’d done her job. They’d given themselves enough distance from the ferals. It was unlikely that the Baggers would pursue them, not with the mall to keep them distracted. Clementine couldn’t go any further. She was done. Her own wounds were bad. Blood continued to seep from the wound on her shoulder. Now that the initial shock had run its course, the pain was creeping in. The Bagger had taken a nice chunk of skin with his teeth. Her leg wasn’t as bad, more superficial than anything, but she couldn’t put all her weight on it. Although they had initially run from the mall, she didn’t think she could do it again now that the endorphins had worn off. Janey would have to take the children and go on without her. She was a tough girl, full of determination and enough spite to ensure the children would be safe. Clementine could give her directions. It might take longer, but Janey would get them back to camp.

             
Dear Heath. My life is over. That’s it. I’ve got nothing else to say. I think it’s time I joined you in the great beyond. I’m pretty sure you’re there anyway. I’ve been foolish to think you might still be alive. Isn’t that why I keep talking to you? Because deep down, I know you’re dead? So why not? Everyone I love is waiting for me. I don’t see the point in sticking around. It’s not like I have a future. The whole world is dead. So what if I decide to bail out a little early? If there is a God, he’d forgive me for making this decision. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to kill myself. I’m just going to wait here until I either bleed to death or the Baggers find me. That’s not suicide, right? It’s like any game. If you know you don’t stand a chance in winning, sometimes it’s best to forfeit.