Fallocaust (The Fallocaust Series) (72 page)

As the blood flaked and fell onto the ground, something came to Greyson. He tossed the banana peel onto the floor and walked into the main lab area.

His nose wrinkled but besides that he managed to ignore the pungent smell. He looked at the mirror and scanned the edges and sides of it. He knew what kind of mirror this was.

There were many switches on the sides, all of them labelled of course. Perish was a perfectionist that was obvious. He found the one labelled
mirror
and switched it.

There was a flicker which immediately caught Greyson’s eyes, then the mirror turned into a window. Greyson shuddered as he walked in front of the two way mirror, seeing the carnage in front of him. He was glad he hadn’t opened the door, the smell in the lab would be nothing compared to what it must smell like in that room.

It was well... it used to be the arian’s prison. What Killian had described, but now it was just a  butcher shop of bloody chewed bones and rotting corpses twisted into each other to the point where you didn’t know where one person ended and another began.

The whipwolf was no where to be found, it must’ve been killed or perhaps Perish had let it go before Killian killed him.

Poor fucks, Greyson shook his head, but that was the wasteland. Survival of the fittest, sure it wasn’t nice that Perish had caught them but there were slavers, clans and ravers all across the greywastes that did the same thing. No one was safe in the wasteland.

The food looked rotten though... none of it they would be able to scavenge. They wouldn’t enter this area of the labs. Though the blood was dried, he didn’t trust that they wouldn’t leave footprints. There was nothing for them inside anyways.

Greyson was about to turn the mirror back on when movement caught his eye. He let out a shocked gasp as he saw movement.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was a man no older than Reaver, crouched into a corner rocking back and forth. He was sickly and gaunt, his tallow coloured face stained with blood and ground in dirt. From his patched up, ratty clothing he looked like a waster. Everything he was wearing had been stained a dull brown from dirt and sweat; stitched together with shoe laces, or strips of leather.

In a prison of splintered, chewed bones and dried out rotting organs someone was alive. Greyson looked at each corpse a bit more carefully but it was apparent, only one had managed to escape the fate that Perish had left for them.

Greyson got onto his radio. “I need Leo.”
A minute went by before Leo’s voice sounded on the other end of the radio. “What is it?”

“I found someone alive where he had been keeping the arians. Come down here with the card key and bring a sentry and an officer.” No telling where the kid was mentally, he’d rather shoot him quickly and get it over with if he became hostile towards them.

Leo came running, his face stricken with shock. “How could someone survive this long? Where is he? She?”
“He, it’s a guy early twenties I think, that mirror is two way.” Greyson motioned Owen and Gini over. “Get your guns out but stay in the door, if he attacks us get a clear shot and we’ll end his suffering quick.”

Leo’s hands were shaking as he slid it through the card reader. Immediately the tension in the room rose, and everyone was silent.

The light switched from red to green and it unlocked.

Greyson drew his gun and opened the door with his shoulder. Just enough for him to squeeze through.

“Hello? Are you clear of mind?” Greyson said into the room, his mask was forgotten in his pocket, he put his hand over his mouth and nose to lessen the smell.

There was silence for a second, and Greyson was about to signal Owen to draw his gun when there was an answer. His voice was weak but clear and audible.

“Yes.”
“Identify yourself, we’re not here to hurt you.”
“Asher Fallon, my family is...
were
raticaters. We were kidnapped.” His voice was a raspy weak whisper, every word sounded like an effort. He sounded sane and stable, though very exhausted. “Do you have any water?”

“Can you stand? Move?” Greyson took a step inside and motioned for Owen to follow him. The tall broad shouldered sentry gave him a sober nod, his fingers resting beside the trigger.

As Greyson stepped over the decaying bodies and skeletal ruins he saw the boy struggle to rise.

He was no threat, Greyson could see that clear as day. His hands shook from his ordeal, and his legs could only hold his weight for several seconds before they buckled.

Greyson handed his gun to Owen and helped the young man stand. His breathing was strained and his breath smelled of rotting flesh. No doubt he had been feeding on the dead arians to survive in here.

“The whipwolf...?”

“The scientist took him, freed him I think,” Asher rasped, he leaned onto Greyson and looked towards the door. “Where is he? Is the scientist gone?” Asher’s hands were twitchy and nervous. Though he was right in the head his time inside the prison was apparent. “He just threw the gates open... right open. What about the younger one, the blond one?”
“He is from my town, he’s safe, Perish is dead.” Greyson helped the man walk towards the exit of the door. He was light, but muscular underneath his layers of rags. Still though he could feel his knees continue to give out from strain and he almost seemed to have trouble holding his head up. “Do you have a town? Somewhere we can take you? Family?”
Asher shook his head, the scrapes on his face were red and angry with infection. “We’ve always travelled from raver den to raver den. We sold them to Tallrock mostly, a block further east.”

Greyson had heard of these travelling slavers before, commonly called raticaters, though none of them ever made it to Aras. They were big enough, almost two hundred people, to have their own raver trappers. Usually they were good people, it was the arian slavers that were the sneaky fucks. His clothes told enough of a story though. The illegal slave trade was profitable and booming, where as the legal rat and raver trade was not. A slaver wore new Skyfall clothing and wore watches and gold; the raticaters were tough as nails, strong and fast and cared nothing for appearances. Heavy and flashy clothing would bog you down and get you eaten.

Greyson helped Asher through the door, and into the hallway. Leo and Gini gave both of them a wide berth, their hands never far away from their weapons.

“Are you hurt? We have a doctor here,” Leo said.
“The wolf creature got my leg and my arm, besides that just a touch of food poisoning I think. The meat has turned, but it was all I had. I would be grateful for a glass of water. Blood congealed days ago.”
He seemed very polite, he reminded him of Killian in that sense, but this man seemed to be made from stronger stuff. Most wasters were, though usually it was either intelligence or balls, you didn’t often see both.

Greyson walked the kid over to the small camp they had made inside an office building’s lobby. Doc was waiting for them, he already had his supplies out.

“This is Don, or Doc as we call him. Doc this is Asher. Looks like he survived the whipwolf attack and has been living off of the dead, he’s injured though.”

Greyson got out a small tin cup and poured the kid a some water from their blue jug.

This wasn’t something he expected, but he couldn’t just leave the boy to die inside the prison. He brought the water to the kid and noticed Doc cringing as he pulled Asher’s pant leg up. “This isn’t pretty Grey, I don’t have the stuff to treat it here.”
Greyson swore, he made the mistake of looking down. The kid’s leg had two long lacerations on it. Rimmed with thick white pus over top of swollen red skin. The wounds were split open, yellow bubbles of fat fully exposed and frothed in the creamy secretion. He could smell them now that they were out of the prison area, they smelled worse than Reaver’s had. No doubt the whipwolf’s mouth had been brimming with bacteria.

“I’ll be okay.” Asher downed the water glass and tried to get up, he was wobbly but he managed to stand, but Doc grabbed his shoulder and made him sit back down. Greyson filled his glass again.

“You’ll lose that leg, and your life,” Doc said. “As soon as a single fly gets to it it will be a wiggling hive for maggots and blowfly larva. I’ve gotten everything I need to here. I want to take him to Aras.”

“Aras? I’ve heard of Aras,” Asher said. “I have some caches a few miles from here, I’ll pay you for a ride. Hell, I’ll pay to stay there, is Greyson Merrik still leading?”
“I am Greyson Merrik,” Greyson said, wincing again as Doc pulled up his arm. It was in the same condition as his leg if not worse. “We don’t ask for an entry fee, just a skill or enough money to pay taxes for six months.”

“I’ll pay, or I can work. My mother, father and I hunted. Or I can find my cache and I’ll buy mercenaries to take me to Tintown.”

Greyson looked at the boy, wishing he was Reaver and able to sniff out lies or deceit. The man seemed trust worthy though, there was no evidence to doubt his story. Still he wasn’t going to risk Aras’s only doctor taking him there.

“Owen can take him back to Aras on the quad. Don, I want you here still, we’ll be back by tomorrow night anyways,” Greyson said, he turned to Asher. “We don’t usually accept residents this close to winter, but if you will make yourself an asset...”
Asher coughed into his sleeve and nodded. “I have never been a burden to anyone and I never will. I’ll earn my way for a roof over my head, the rest I can take care of.”
“Do you know the block law?”
Asher nodded again. “I’ve stayed in a few blocks with my family.”
Leo was behind Greyson, he put his hand on his shoulder and turned him around. “Do you think this is wise? We wont be there to keep an eye on him.”
“Reaver will though, and he will keep a better eye on him than us; and we’ll be back soon enough,” Greyson said quietly, then he dropped his voice. “If he comes while Reaver is in charge he’ll feel responsible for him, there is no one better to make sure he stays in line.”

Leo shot a nervous look towards the waster, his teeth scraped against his lip.

“He’s strong, we need his strength for the winter. Not to mention we need to organize a raver mission soon before the rain.”
The blond leader gave him a small nod. “We can’t just leave him for the whipwolves... okay. Send him to Aras.”

Chapter 31

Killian

I was in bed when Reaver finally returned. I had decided that he obviously didn’t need me around so I made my way back to the basement and spent my time with Biff.  I also did a bit of his drugs just to relax me.

I was still in a foul mood. Since Reaver had caused my bad mood, the drugs he scavenged could help fix it. It didn’t fix it but it did make me not care as much.

I didn’t want to use any fuel so I just turned on a bluelamp and read for a bit. My psychology books as usual though I did read a couple chapters of Stephen King.

After my third hour of doing drugs I went to bed, and within twenty minutes he was home. He called my name when he entered and I gave him a small grunt to tell him I was here.

“Greyson has been fucking slacking like you wouldn’t believe,” Reaver said. I could hear him rustling around the living room. “He has three people in holding cells awaiting trial. It’s going to take a week before I can execute that drunk. You know what that means right? They’ll be back by then and you bet your ass Greyson will let him off easy. Hollis is stressed and annoyed because the shady fucks of the block know Greyson and Leo are busy, they’ve been trying and succeeding in getting away with illegal shit.”
I was a bit annoyed Reaver didn’t even care I was mad at him, but that was Reaver I guess.

“Oh yeah?” I said, trying to be supportive. At least he sounded like he was taking it seriously.

“This Harold dick is a wife beating drunk and he’s had enough chances. The other one is some idiot who stole from Tulley and the last one tried to poison his neighbour’s meat. Which the neighbour is now blaming for his daughter’s death, and these people are still alive? Because of what? Some shitty trial where we know they’ll be found guilty? This democracy is bullshit.” Reaver ranted, there was a pause and I heard him inhaling drugs. “I’m going to talk to the council tomorrow. If meat is going to shortage soon I don’t want to feed three men until their trials. Especially when they aren’t even working. I see no point.”
Unfortunately the council would never agree to that. There were rules the block had to follow and a trial was one of them, even if they were caught red handed. Innocent until proven guilty that was what they did pre-Fallocaust and that was one of Greyson’s laws. It was not negotiable and would have the convicted's families in an uproar.

“If I was an officer I would have just beaten them all to death and said it was self defense.”

Which is why you aren’t a law enforcement officer, Reaver...

“Greyson will execute them when he gets home,” I said, I looked through the crack of the door and saw Reaver drinking water and eating a piece of dried jerky.

“No he wont, he’s too busy in Donnely and he’ll be too tired and distracted to care. He’ll let them go like he always does, he’s too soft. We can’t feed these scum suckers anymore. Why should they take food from our mouths? Why are we feeding the rule breaking losers? Their jobs aren’t anything special, they posses no special skills.” Reaver swallowed his mouthful of food. “It’s like every fucking person forgets how bad it can get in winter. We’re usually one disease break out from half the block starving.”
Reaver put the glass down and walked into the bedroom, I watched as he started to change into his sleeping clothes. “I’m mayor for now, Greyson needs a kick in the ass. The town has gotten complacent, they’ve gotten comfortable and they’re not respecting authority. I am the authority now.”

Reaver laid down beside me and rolled over until we were facing each other. “Greyson wants me to be a leader, I’ll be a leader, my way.”

The way he said it made me a bit uneasy, but before I got respond Reaver started kissing me and soon his hand was down my boxers. With a gasp my cross feelings with Reaver started to disappear, and when, after a bit of foreplay, Reaver slipped inside me they were forgotten completely.