Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (37 page)

“He missed the third shot.” I pointed out.

“Well when you first started you missed shots as well, he’ll learn.”
“I was five years old when you started teaching me to shoot!”

Greyson took a drag from his smoke and blew it out of his mouth with a smirk. “You were such a cute kid with your little 9mm. Though we had to watch what we said around you, you shot at Leo once when the kickback knocked you on your ass and he dared laugh.”

I didn’t remember that. “Did I hit him?”

The leader of Aras was still smiling. “Of course not, though we beat your ass bloody for it. Never did it again. Half the block came to watch us kick your ass all the way home. I think they enjoyed you getting what you deserved. You were a little bastard to everyone, even back then.”

No wonder everyone always gave me a wide birth, ever since I could remember. They were probably all itching for the chance to see me get my ass beat down Main Street again. Well I hoped they enjoyed disappointment.

There was another gun shot, and another large portion of the rat’s skull got shot off. It exploded like a firework, raining rotting brains and maggots down on the concrete barrier behind it. Killian aimed it again, but when he pulled the trigger there was only a click.

“Always keep track of how many bullets you have in the chamber.” I walked over to him and took the gun away, I cracked open the chamber and started slipping a handful of bullets into it. “You don’t want to be face to face with a raver thinking you have one in the chamber when you don’t.”

“You’ll be beside me anyways.” Killian gave me a toothy smile. I rolled my eyes, hearing Greyson chuckle behind me. He was right though, I would be, but that was beside the point of his gun training.

“Does this mean you’re taking him out scavenging tomorrow?” Greyson asked. Killian stared at him for a second before he clicked the barrel in and gave it a spin.

“Hell no,” I said, grabbing Killian’s shoulders and turning him back towards the rat cadaver. “He’s going to be in my cave with the doors locked. Locked inside safe.”

Greyson threw the cigarette into the corner of the concrete block. “You can come hang out with me and Leo if you like Killian.”

Killian held up the gun and fired it, taking out the last shred of skull. It fell to the ground with a thunk, leaving just a nub of spine and the rest of his chest. I could see the chest pulsating with maggots. I hoped it would explode before we left. I would love to see Killian’s face.

“Thank you, Greyson,” he said politely. “I wouldn’t mind being on the wall, maybe at the gate? I can watch for them coming home that way.”
“Nope.” Was my reply.

Another gun shot, this time hitting its churning chest. Killian tried to hit the top of the spine several times but he missed on all of them. He did manage to make the guy’s chest into swiss cheese though. That only intensified the nose curling smell.

“Are you going to take that from him Killian? You can go on the wall if you like,” Greyson said, another couple of shots rang before once again there was clicking. He had forgotten to count again.

Killian noticed this, he looked at the gun and gave out a huff before holstering it. “I’ll stay in the house. I don’t want Reaver to worry about me while he’s out.”

The unimpressed sound Greyson made made Killian cower. He threw his hands up in the air and turned around. “Already whipped! I can’t believe it. No free will at all.”

“That’s how I like em!” I said with a smile.

“I’m not whipped, I would just rather Reaver’s mind be on scavenging,” Killian said in his defense. He started following Greyson as he made his way back towards the street.

Greyson looked rather amused at Killian’s reasoning. “Whatever you have to tell yourself, kiddo. But you can go on the wall if you want. No one’s looking for you anymore anyways.”

At least he had a point with that one. Though the Legion Radio had been alive with reports on the missing patrol, the Raven and the bombing at Typhus Canyon Factory, Killian missing hadn’t been mentioned once. I wagered it was because he had been sold illegally, either they had no idea he was missing in the first place or they didn’t want to admit they had taken an illegal arian and the son of a former factory worker.

The Raven on the other hand had was being hunted like a dog.

“He’s not going on the wall,” I said, as firmly as I could. “He’s not doing any of that shit unless I’m there.”

Greyson looked annoyed. “Then make it his fucking choice, Reaver. He’s your boyfriend, not your child, and even if he was, you were crawling all around that fucking wall when you were three.”

“Well I’m more concerned with what happens to him then you were of me,” I said coldly, that garnered me a shocked look from Killian and a steel gaze from Greyson.

“Don’t start that shit with me,”Greyson warned, waving an annoyed hand at me but he didn’t say anything more. All three of us started heading towards the front gates. It was feeding time for the deacons and Leo would be coming to the front soon.

“Didn’t they raise you as their son?” he asked quietly, he was trying to be quiet enough for Greyson not to hear but that asshole had sonic hearing.

“No.” That wasn’t true, they had but I wasn’t about to admit that with Greyson around.

“Then who raised you?”

“Me.”

“But when did your parents die?”
“When I was two.”
“No one can raise themselves when they’re three.”
“I can.”

“Greyson?” Killian looked at the leader for help, my teeth gritted together. Greyson’s eyes were fixed ahead, he didn’t like talking about this shit just like I didn’t. It was a touchy subject that turned into a rotting wound when touched. We had been butting heads about my upbringing since I had moved out. Though I did see them as pseudo dads there were some ways they parented me that as an adult I resented them for.

“He was a wild kid, you had to put a leash on him to keep him still. We gave up after awhile and let him do what he wanted. He was happier that way, and Leo and I fought less.”

I walked ahead of the two of them, I had had enough of this talk. Though just when I thought I had gotten a good distance I could hear the loyal pattering of sneakers on pavement. I didn’t even have to turn around to know Killian had caught up to me.

I kept walking, we were almost at the gate anyways. I could see half a dozen people around the old truck and the blond head of Leo in the back kicking the totes of rat down the ramp. He was laughing with the others who were there. I could make out Matt and Doc, the others I didn’t know by name.

“There is the little devil.” Leo gave me a cheerful smile. He gave the last tote a kick. The rat inside gave a gurgling yell as he slid down the ramp to the awaiting trolley. He shielded his eyes and looked past me. “How’s he doing? Ready for a real gun yet?”

“Yes he is, but try telling his owner that,” Greyson called from behind me, every one chuckled at that lovely quip.

I glowered, I wasn’t in the mood for their teasing today. No matter how cute they thought it was.

“Killian can have any gun he wants. The more powerful the better.” I shot Greyson a cold look. “That way when they discover your rotting corpse with his bullets all throughout it we can blame it on his friendly fire,” I said curtly.

“Then you would be mayor, son,” Greyson shot back, picking another old wound. “No one wants that, not even you.”

“Perish the thought.” I walked towards a slit window in the concrete wall. The scabbed and hairless beasts stalked around their enclosure in circles, their shoulder blades rising and falling, their heads lowered and frothing. The image of Greyson getting torn apart limb from limb brought a bit of light into my annoyed mind.

Though in the middle of my day dreaming, Doc popped up behind me. He started examining my ear, he flicked it a few times. I hissed and batted him away.

“Well you still have feeling in it. Have you been disinfecting it?”
“Three times a day, changing bandages, all that shit.”

“Good, you smell like stale sweat and dirt, which is a lot better than rot. You’ll be fine.” Doc gave me a deliberately hard slap on the back, making me cringe with pain. Though I had been healing quickly it still hurt like a bitch.

“You should have an easy trip tomorrow,” Leo said, he was up on the wall now getting the rat meat up onto it. “Don’t forget the god damn list though or I’ll make you eat it.”

“I have it packed away, calm your ass,” I said glancing up, though the sun was blinding me. The smell of dirty rat was filling the air as the groaning piece of meat was flopped onto the concrete wall. Beside me the deacons started to give excited yips and yelps. Before long the rusted hinges started to creak as the gate opened.

Greyson climbed the steel rungs to the top of the concrete block, and I felt Killian beside me.

“Are you going with him?” Doc asked, leaning over to look at Killian.

The boy shook his head. “No, I’m staying at Reaver’s.”

“It’s been over a week... if you wanted to try the ropes, it would be relatively-”

“No,” I said in the same curt voice I had given Greyson when he had hinted of Killian going with me and Reno.

Doc gave an amused laugh. I swear they had meetings at night to discuss new ways to get a rise out of me regarding my new relationship. “He can busy himself with the clinic then.”

We all walked towards the chain link gate for a better view. The first rat landed with a thunk onto the bone covered deacon cage. As soon as he landed there was a flurry of scabbed patched fur as they surrounded him. Ripping the living meat from limb to limb, everyone but me stepped back further as blood and flesh sprayed into the air.

I tried not to smile. Nothing like lightening your mood with seeing something die. I wish for another legionary at that moment.

They quickly devoured the rat, in time for the second one to be dropped. I hadn’t even noticed that a few others had joined our party. There was always some bored resident who wanted to see the carnage go on.

Soon every deacon was in his or her corner with their limbs or chunks of flesh. The fresh blood was heavy in the air now, almost masking the smell of deacon shit and decay. I wished then I had taken a few pieces of the soldiers for myself, I would miss tomorrow’s distribution. I wouldn’t have fresh meat until I returned. Unless we found something during our scavenging.

“Greyson...”

Everyone stopped as Leo’s voice sounded. It had a nervous edge to it. I looked up to see him shielding his eyes as he looked over the greywastes. He was still up on top of the wall.
“What is it?” Greyson immediately walked towards the ladder rungs but Leo was already making his way down. Before his feet could even hit the floor, everyone’s radio crackled to life.

“We have legionary, it’s Mercer Carter and the rest of the ACL.”

“Fuck!” I swore, anyone but that son of a bitch. A flurry of activity erupted around me. Greyson said something to Matt which had him running towards the radio house. Then Greyson turned to me.

“You need to get the fuck out of here, now,” Greyson said in a tone that left no room for bullshit, he looked scared and I knew he was. Mercers usually gave us warning so we could pull in the surrounding lookouts for census.

It was obvious why he was coming without warning... me and the shitstorm I had created.

“I’ll get to Reno’s we’ll go to Donnely now...” I said quickly, I turned to run and as I did I turned to face Killian.

Shit... I had forgotten about him.

“Reaver, get out of here!” Killian said quickly, he grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away from the metal gate.

“He’s on foot, looks like he has two dozen with him.” Sadii was suddenly there, behind her was another sentry Owen. They were both out of breath. “It’s collection, he’s looking for the Raven.”

No shit Sadii...

“He has hessians, three of them.”

Several heartbeats around me lurched as she said that. He hadn’t brought hessians since the sniper incident when I was sixteen. I looked at Killian. The kid was still pulling on my arm, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t leave him. I couldn’t leave him with the mercer and hessians so near. What if they found his blood at the scene? What if they thought he was the Raven? It was farfetched but fuck I couldn’t risk him. I couldn’t take chances with him, I just got him back.

I turned to the boy. “You’re coming with me.”

The colour drained for his face, but he regained himself. He nodded and we both took off running.

“Two days, Reaver,” Greyson called after us, I turned to him and nodded and we both ran towards the south gate. Half way there I was met by the armourer, Tyson. Without even stopping he handed us both bullet proof vests and an assault rifle with a vest of bullets to Killian.

“Greyson radioed me,” Tyson said keeping pace with us. “The gun is loaded as well. Reno’s meeting you with the quad on the south end, he just left his house.”

I felt a lump in my throat. This isn’t how I wanted it to go. A part of me wanted to shove Killian into my basement and bar the door, but I couldn’t. I had to have him close to me. I didn’t trust the hessians not to find him and if they did... there would be trouble. Either he got shot or he would get recruited. I didn’t know what would be worse. I couldn’t come home to that... fuck I hoped I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life right now.

We ran quickly, but it still took us over fifteen minute to reach the other end of Aras. By that time Reno was there.

He was off of the quad and pacing around it anxiously. He was holding his night vision and regular goggles in his hand and a jacket in the other.

“Put this on,” he quickly said to Killian, giving him the goggles and the jacket. “I have to stay, the quad wont make it there and back with three people and supplies, and they’ll mark me as dead if I don’t give my blood. Sorry buddy.”

I swore and snatched the bag away, I climbed onto the back of the quad.

“Feed my cat, he’s in Reaver’s, please Reno?” Killian said desperately, putting the bullet proof vest on. Of course that’s the first thing he thought of.

“Don’t worry about it, Tinkerbell.” Reno gave him a wink, before he turned to me and handed me a pack. “I got as much shit as I could but I nearly broke my damn neck getting here quick. What do we say about Tink?”