Love and Decay, Kane's Law

Love & Decay

A Novella Series

Kane’s Law

By Rachel Higginson

Copyright@ Rachel Higginson 2013

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To Zach,

This would not exist without you.

Just like so many other things.

Chapter One

682 days after initial infection

Kane

“I’m going with them,” I yelled over my
shoulder. I’d just finished my shift from last night, but the new
patrol was ready to go out and I didn’t want them to leave without
me. My father stood behind me, in the middle of the hallway where
his sick trophies couldn’t reach him.

“Why?” he father called back, clearly as
perplexed as my mom had been. I’d checked in with her like I did
every single morning after a shift. She worried about me even while
she knew what we did was a necessity.

My entire body stiffened at his questioning
tone. It wasn’t abnormal for me to go out on multiple patrols, but
I had already put in a double overnight. It wasn’t that I didn’t
understand my dad’s confusion- but I did resent having to explain
my actions. He could control the rest of the Colony, but I was
almost always left to my own devices. I had been appointed second
in command since the beginning and I didn’t need to be babysat or
watched as closely as the others. My father could trust me
implicitly. Because unlike his other children, I believed in his
methodology and his long term goals. I would always stand at his
side. I would always fight for the purpose we both held as close as
religion. This was who I was now; the soldier that fought for
control again, the leader that kept humanity in line… the son that
carried out his father’s will because I was an extension of his
greater plan.

“They’re not alone,” I said simply.

“The guys that came in with Miller?” he asked
with cold indifference. My father had one weakness- pride. He
thought this place was indestructible- he thought we were flawless.
And while I agreed that our tactics worked more often than not, I
saw a broader big-picture than he did. Pride would leave us
vulnerable and open to failure.

And those were not acceptable options.

And besides that my instincts burned inside
me like road flares. Those guys we’d captured weren’t just lucky to
still be alive; their good fortune went well beyond luck. They had
skill and knowledge I hadn’t seen in outsiders in a long time. That
probably meant there were more of them.

And that bothered me.

My father was blinded by pride for a reason.
We were practically invincible. We were stronger than the rest…
smarter than the rest.

We were the answer to the problem. The
solution to the infestation.

Everyone knew that. Whether they risked life
and limb to get to us or simply wanted to investigate the rumors of
our sanctuary, people flocked here from all over the former US.

Except these guys. And now they wanted to
leave?

They hadn’t come right out and said that, but
it was clear in their anxious behavior and wandering attention
spans that they had no intentions of going through our probationary
period.

That meant something, or someone, was out
there waiting for them. Someone that would probably come looking
for them and expect us to let them go.

And I just couldn’t wait to meet them. I
couldn’t wait to see what kind of human being could survive the
last two years and still feel that surprising glow of determination
and control.

In my experience, the only ones that still
felt in control were my father and me. The rest of the population
of this dying earth felt far from in control; no, they felt lost,
under constant threat and in unrelenting danger. They didn’t feel
control because they didn’t see a solution and they’d lost sight of
hope years ago.

And if it wasn’t those weak, victimized
people looking for protection than it was the other side of the
spectrum- men who’d lost any remnants of decency and humanity in an
effort to compensate for those things that they couldn’t fix or
expect. They forced control and authority because it didn’t come
naturally to them anymore- because they were just as much victims
of a deadly apocalypse as the rest of us. They were just too
stubborn or dumb to admit it. Either way, when they met us and saw
firsthand what we could offer, they gladly handed over their free
will and loyalty to be a part of our thriving society.

My father’s entire philosophy rested on the
fact that we were salvation to a world drowning in the depths of
hell. And without that mentality, our power was only as great as
our word. People needed to trust us indisputably, they needed to
set their hope in us…. they needed to
deify
us.

Outsiders with their own vision threatened
everything we’d worked so hard to build.

And while they couldn’t be allowed to go on
like they were, I was still curious to see what kind of potential
talent they could bring to the table.

“How do you know there’s more?” My dad asked
with a carefully measured voice. His thoughts had gone in the same
direction as mine. He realized the threat now. He wanted to resolve
this issue as quickly as I did.

This was why he should never doubt me; I was
five steps ahead of him.

“Gut feeling.” I turned back around, checking
my ammo, checking my guns, checking my knives. I blinked to make
sure my contacts were in place. It didn’t make sense to be careless
in this end of days, not even in our utopia.

“You think there’s women with them?” he asked
in a low voice.

Women were like currency around here- around
everywhere. The aftermath of the infection had wiped out a huge
percentage of the female population just because of Darwin’s Law-
survival of the fittest. We were building a civilization based
mostly on men and testosterone and that wouldn’t do in the grand
scheme of things. We needed the soft feminine touch to balance us
out, keep us cultured, keep us from tearing each other apart with
our bare hands.

Of course there were other reasons for
wanting women around.

“Hard to tell, but I’m ready to find out,” I
drawled.

“Be careful, Son,” he called after me.

“Always.” And as an afterthought I said,
“Miller’s had enough.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he spit back as
firm and dangerous as ever. Now that was the father I knew; not the
one concerned with my safety, but the one who ruled everything and
everyone with an iron fist and a cocky surety that would make a man
question every single one of his beliefs if they didn’t match
Matthias Allen’s.

I snorted something unintelligible and
allowed myself a second of remorse for my stupid little brother’s
idiotic actions. He should have known better.

He should have at least known not to come
back here. It was his own fault. And now there was nothing I could
do for him.

I tilted my chin up and walked out the doors
into the early morning sky. Electrodes of adrenaline and excitement
sparked up and down my back and all over my limbs.

I suppressed the smile that wanted to break
free on my face and brought my body into complete submission.

I was going hunting. And something inside my
gut told me this would be the most exciting chase of my life so
far.

Austen and Creed were already waiting for me.
They were some of the younger guys hoping to build a career out of
patrols and killing Zombies. And they actually had the stuff to
make it.

I chose them this morning to accompany me.
They were quiet, capable and had the kind of instincts that would
keep them- and me- alive.

They were also disposable.

Not that they knew that. But really, they all
were.

Our ranks were filled with hundreds of guys
like them. This enemy was easy to kill and regret rarely plagued
men trying to protect loved ones or their own skin from a creature
that wanted to eat their face. They flooded our boarders with
promises of loyalty and tunneled vision that lined up with my
father’s. They were the perfect kind of soldiers and when they made
a mistake and succumbed to the enemy we fought so vigilantly, they
were easily replaced.

But they gave their lives willingly. We all
wanted the same thing; we all wanted to be free of the Zombie
threat. And there wasn’t a person alive that wouldn’t do exactly
what we asked if we promised them that end result. Even if they
weren’t around to enjoy the results of their effort, they believed
that the rest of humanity deserved to be freed from Feeders.

“Let’s go,” I ordered in a low voice.

I didn’t bother to ask them if they were
ready. They already better be. I didn’t have time to wait around
for them or babysit them while they asked for directions. If I
chose them then they better be prepared for everything I needed the
minute I asked for it.

Was that arrogant?

Hell, yes. But I didn’t just accidentally
land my spot on the top of the totem pole by being the first born
son of Matthias Allen. No, I’d earned this place with a patient
ruthlessness and resolved insensitivity that I was proud of.

We marched a path straight into the
surrounding forest. Miller and his guests had left an offering of
footprints last night in the soft mud. If there were others
following them, it seemed most logical that they would try to
follow those prints. I couldn’t believe they’d left them on
accident.

There were plenty of other teams patrolling
the woods at this time of day, but I wanted these prints. I wanted
to be the one to find the rest of this group.

If they were as proficient as the other two
waiting on a trial with my father, the obvious clues might just
come in handy.

Last night the two that were currently locked
away seemed less than likely to join our ranks; but I would
eventually show them how mutually beneficial we could be for each
other. We were an ideal place for men of their caliber and talent.
And we could offer steady meals and shelter. They would change
their minds.

My father planned to put them through
probation and then reevaluate their commitment to the Colony.

I agreed with his method. Nobody left on this
planet could be completely trusted. Probation was the best way to
get to a man’s core belief system, to find out just how easily his
loyalty was swayed. It was difficult at times to live in a
community that took so much work to maintain- but the rewards were
staggering, compared to what else this fallen world had to
offer.

They would either get in line or my father
would deal with them in his usual way.

There really was only one choice. They
clearly valued their lives; I had no doubt they would come to the
right conclusion.

We walked in stealthy silence through the
thick forestry. Only fifteen minutes into our venture, I could hear
the distant voices that floated on the wind. From here it was
difficult to tell what kind of people they belonged to, but for a
moment I thought I heard a child.

I paused mid-stride and gave the signal to
the other two young men to proceed quietly and fan out around the
voices.

We moved into the dark forest with practiced
steps and clear purpose. We’d done this a hundred, maybe a thousand
times before. This was a drill to us, as easy as breathing.

My feet faltered only once and that was when
we were close enough to fully identify the kind of voices
approaching. Although we still couldn’t see them, I could hear
clearly enough. One man- old enough to be a man, but young enough
to still be somewhat ambiguous in years. Middle aged? Or teenager?
Somewhere in the middle? It was hard to tell.

And then the other voice.