The Ashes: an Eden prequel (6 page)

I hack off as much of the hair on my head as I can.  I look wild and beast-like.  After soaking my head in the water, I take my blade to my scalp and carefully shave away every bit of hair.  My skin doesn’t come out undamaged but I don’t look like a caveman anymore.

The beard is next.

It’s a relief to be rid of the excess hair.  It itches when it gets hot and frequently makes it difficult to eat.

There’s shouting behind me, maybe one hundred yards away.  My pulse instantly races.  I strap the knife to my belt and pull out my shotgun.  The pack is on my back and I’m moving through the woods a few seconds later.

It’s been weeks since I’ve seen anyone, bot or human.  I have no problem with solitude, but I am curious.  My instincts tell me I’m not going to run into any of those things out here so it must be other people.

They’ve taken care to hide themselves well.  It took me at least two weeks just to hike into these mountains.  I want to see who’s been as persistent as myself.

I can’t help every little noise my boots make as I close the distance between us, but I’m as quiet as possible.  I can hear voices talking as I get closer.  They seem relaxed.  Comfortable.  I wonder if I mistook laughter as shouting earlier.  As I get closer I can hear them talking about what I assume is some kind of garden.

The idea interests me.  A garden is something I would have never thought about.

I slip behind a tree and just listen.

“Tye and Hudson brought in the fencing this morning,” a younger-sounding voice says.  “They said they’re settling down out there.  They’re all going to sleep or something.  Just standing around.”

“I don’t understand,” an older, gruffer voice says.  “Are they dying out?”

The first voice pauses for a second as if they’re shaking their head.  “I don’t think so.  It’s like they’re going into hibernation.  For how long, who knows?”

“I brought food,” a younger female voice suddenly says.  “I shot it.”

“Well look at that,” the older one says.  “That is a fine fox.  He will be quite tasty for dinner tonight.  Well done.”

I dare a glance around the tree.  The only one I can see is a young girl.  She’s maybe fourteen, but I’d guess she’s even younger.  Probably thirteen.  She’s got her hair pulled back tight and she’s holding a hunting rifle.  It’s a bizarre sight to see one so young holding such a deadly weapon.

But the strangest thing about her is the look on her face.  Her eyes are alert, attentive.  But her expression is totally devoid.  Like she isn’t feeling anything behind the mask.  A kid that young shouldn’t look that hardened.  What had she been through to get that expression?

“May I go back out?  I’m pretty sure I saw a buck out there.  I can get it,” she says.

There’s another hesitance, like the two men are looking at each other.

“I suppose,” the older man says.  “Just be careful out there.”

The girl looks at what I assume is his face for a few moments and I can almost read the thoughts rolling behind her eyes.  This isn’t a girl who considers being careful very often.

She turns and walks away.

Without the girl to focus on, I observe the rest of the surroundings.  There are tents cropped together, seven of them.  I see a fire smoldering off in the distance.  I still can’t see the men who are standing behind one of the tents.

“We’ll get started on the fence in the morning,” the older of the two says and walks away.  I see his back as he retreats.  He looks to be a good ten years older than myself, at least.  His hair is longer, streaked with gray.

Taking one more look around my surroundings to be sure I’m not going to be seen, I retreat back into the woods.

37°44’17.3”N 107°23’36.92”W

I watch these people for two days.  And I can’t help but be fascinated by them.

They travel to a plot of land every morning.  It’s tilled, roughly, but obviously being prepped for planting.  They slowly work on putting up the fence.  It will take time.  It’s a big plot of land they’re working on.

They eat together at night.  They send out a scout every few hours, which I am careful to avoid.  And some of them train.  Train to fight.  Train to shoot.  Train to survive.

In all there are fifteen of them.

And they seem to live together in perfect harmony.

In this chaotic, unsafe world, these people seem to have found peace.

37°44’17.3”N  107°23’36.92”W

Something bumps my chest and I try brushing it away, wanting to just go back to sleep.  But whatever bumped me doesn’t go away when I swat at it and my hand hits something narrow, solid, and cold.

My eyes flash open and I’m staring in to the blue-gray eyes of that bizarre girl.

She’s got the barrel of that hunting rifle pressed to my chest.

“Are you spying on us?” she says.  Her voice is perfectly even and flat.

I slowly put up my hands to show that I am unarmed.  “Yes.”

She doesn’t say anything for a second and I can tell she’s debating what to do with me.  She is looking at my eyes closely.

“Are you going to hurt anyone?” she asks.  She presses the barrel against my chest a little harder.

“No,” I reply.  My heart is hammering in my chest now and I can’t take my eyes from the finger she rests on the trigger.

She considers for another moment.

“I’ll let you leave if you want.  You won’t ever come back.  Or you can come talk.”

I take a moment to answer.  I’d settled that I was just going to be alone for the rest of my existence and survive.  But this was also my green place on the map.  I’d walked months to reach it.

And there was just something that felt…right about these people, this very place.

“I’ll come talk,” I finally answer.

She pulls the barrel of the rifle away and points back toward the camp.  As I start walking towards it, I can sense that she’s got the rifle leveled on my back.

We don’t say a word as we make our way through the trees.  I see tents through the woods and adrenaline washes through my system.

People are unpredictable.  And I don’t like being unsure about situations.

When I hesitate at the edge of the tents, the girl shoves the barrel against my back and pushes me through into the middle of their camp.

Everyone is seated next to the kitchen area where there is a fire burning bright and hot.  They all look up at me in surprise and two younger men produce handguns that are instantly pointed in my direction.

“What are you doing here?” one of the demands.  He takes a quick step towards me.

“I…” I hesitate, knowing I have to be careful in what I say.  “I was just trying to get away.  I picked a rural spot on a map and headed towards it.  I didn’t expect to find other people in it.”

“He was sleeping in the woods about thirty yards away,” the girl behind me says.  “He said he was spying on us.”

“Is that true?” the old man with the gray eyes asks through a thick beard.

I pause, evaluating those before me for a moment.  I nod.

“And?” he says, never breaking eye contact.

“And,” I say, dragging out the moment as I make a final decision.  One I’ve been wrestling with the last two days.  “And I’d like to join you, if you’ll have me.”

A small smile spreads on the man’s face.  He climbs to his feet and starts toward me.  “And what can you offer the people here?”

I keep his eye as he approaches.  “I won’t be trouble.  I can hunt.  I can scout.  And I have a lot…” I hesitate, again raising my hands to show I’m not armed at the moment.  “And I have a lot of ammunition with me.  You’re more than welcome to it.”

The man chuckles.  One of the young men behind him walks towards us.  He’s lean and fit.  The way his hair is cropped short screams military.

The older man smiles to my surprise and extends his hand.  I cross the distance between us and I carefully take it.

“Congratulations on surviving the Evolution and the Bane,” he says, slapping a heavy hand on my shoulder.  It takes me a moment to realize the Bane must be the zombiebots.  “We’ve got to band together.  You’re welcome here if you mean you won’t be trouble.”

“I promise,” I say, feeling a weight on my chest lighten.  Not many people get a true fresh start.  The chance to start anew with people who knew nothing about my past or what I’d done.  But here it was.

“Then I’m Gabriel,” he says with a smile again.

“I’m Avian,” the soldier says, extending his hand.  I shake it.  “That’s my cousin Tye,” he points to the man who still has a handgun leveled at me.

“This is Eve,” Gabriel says, pointing to the girl behind me.  I turn to look at her.  She doesn’t try to shake my hand, just looks at me like she’s evaluating every little move I make.  I just nod to her.

“Bill,” I say, turning back to Avian and Gabriel and the rest of the group.  “My name is Bill.”

“Well, Bill,” Gabriel says, placing a hand on my shoulder again.  He takes a step back toward the group where they are eating breakfast.  I walk forward with him.  “Welcome to Eden.”

Don’t miss

THE BANE

Book One in

THE EDEN TRILOGY

AVAILABLE MARCH 5, 2013

Before the Evolution there was TorBane: technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter.  It had the ability to grow new organs and limbs, to heal the world.  Until it evolved out of control and spread like the common cold.  The machine took over, the soul vanished, and the Bane were born. 
The Bane won't stop until every last person has been infected. With less than two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction.

Eve knows the stories of the Evolution, the time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name.  But she doesn't need memories to know this world is her reality.  This is a world that is quickly losing its humanity, one Bane at a time.

Fighting to keep one of the last remaining human colonies alive, Eve finds herself torn between her dedication to the colony, and the discovery of love.  There is Avian and West – one a soldier, one a keeper of secrets.  And in the end, Eve will make a choice that will change the future of mankind.

The Bane
is
The Terminator
meets
The Walking Dead
with a heart-twisting romance.

Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit
www.KearyTaylor.com
.