Fury Rising (17 page)

She nearly ran right into Michael. He reached out, taking Andrew into his own arms. 

“They’re ferals,” Clementine gasped.

“Here? In the city?”

“Look at them. They’re not normal.”

Michael paused. Even through the darkness, she could tell he figured it out. “Come on,” he said. Pushing the big double doors open, they escaped into the absolute blackness of the storeroom.

She wanted to immediately turn on her flashlight, but they couldn’t, not when the doors had big round windows. They’d be spotted in a second. Instead, she put Casey down and reached out into the darkness until she found another child. She pulled both of them together and forced the to join hands.

“Hold on to each other,” she ordered. “We can’t get lost.”

The whole thing was pointless. Looking around, Clementine knew instantly this wasn’t going to be easy. What were they going to do? Wander around blind until they accidently bumped into the loading doors? Clementine took a step forward, hands reaching out towards where she thought Michael might be, but grasped only at air.

“Michael?”

“I’m here.” His voice came from behind her. Startled, she turned around, getting so disorganized; she couldn’t tell which direction was which. Her lungs began to deflate, making her head dizzy and fuzzy at the same time. Panic welled up inside her chest. She had to turn the flashlight on. But as she reached for the button, the gadget slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud bang.

She froze, waiting for the awful moment when the feral Baggers rushed through the storeroom doors, not that she knew where they were.

Instead, a soft glow appeared in front of her.

Michael had taken his flashlight and shoved it beneath his shirt. It didn’t give off a lot of light, but enough to instantly calm her, as she was able to see all the children surrounding her, looking up at her with concern.

They were handling this a lot better than her.

Michael found her flashlight and handed it back to her. Their fingers touched, along with a surge of energy that calmed Clementine instantly. Maybe it was the soft light glowing from his bellybutton, or maybe it was his familiar touch, but either way, Clementine felt all that tightness leaving her body.

I’m better than this. Heath, I can’t believe I just let myself panic like that. I’ve travelled half way across the country for you. I’ve killed Baggers. I’ve slept in a ditch and been peed on, and lord knows how many other awful things have happened. I am Clementine White. I used to be a daughter, a cheerleader, and I had a family that loved me. I had friends and we giggled over boys and went to parties and I thought I lived in the dullest place on the planet. And now I’m so much more. I’m a survivor and a fighter and I finally understand what it means to love someone so much that their touch can bring me indescribable joy. I understand what it means to never give up. I am not a coward and I’m not going to crawl into a corner and let this darkness beat me. I’m going to stop feeling sorry for myself, quit being scared, and bloody well do something. It’s just another day in my life and the sooner we get it finished, the sooner I get to go home.

Screw the Baggers. How dare they make her feel helpless like that?

“You okay?” Michael reached out and touched her cheek. A tender moment that made her stomach fill with butterflies. He cared for her so much. Sometimes she couldn’t understand what she’d done to deserve it. No matter how bad things got, she could always depend on Michael to be there for her. And in return, she’d never leave him to wander alone. Never.

“I’m good,” she whispered.

She placed her own flashlight beneath her shirt and turned it on. It would be enough to keep them moving, but not enough to instantly give them away. Looking around, she could see the rows of boxes stacked on pallets. Although she couldn’t see, she assumed they reached high towards the ceiling, rows upon rows, untouchable except for the motorized pallet jack collecting dust by the wall.

The loading dock had to be somewhere. Left or right. The sea of boxes disappeared into the shadows. They would have to pick a direction and start moving. If things got bad, they could always climb up the metal beams and find a place to hide in the rafters above them.

“That way?” She pointed in the direction that led away from what she thought might be the front of the store. She couldn’t tell, but Michael nodded, so it gave her more confidence. She turned to Janey, who somehow still managed to keep the children together and perfectly quiet. Clementine decided that Janey had the most gifted talent in the world.

“You’re amazing,” she said. “They never would have survived without you.”

“Thanks,” Janey said. Through the soft glow of the flashlight, the younger girl smiled at Clementine for the first time.

“Think they can keep it together a bit longer?”

Janey shrugged and then nodded. “They’re good.”

Clementine hoped so. As long as Andrew didn’t burst out into tears or announce he had to go to the bathroom again.

Michael led the way again. Janey and the little ones went second and Clementine found herself heading up the rear again. It was much quieter in the back, they could no longer hear the Baggers destruction, except for the occasional crash or muffled scream. With the entire store spread out for their enjoyment, the Baggers apparently had no interest in the storeroom. But she knew that all it would take was one Bagger to venture through the doors and the rest would probably follow. They needed to get outside before that happened.

They moved slowly and methodically. Each step took forever, but after about ten minutes, they found it as they passed a desk filled with abandoned paperwork. The loading bay opened up before them, a mountain of unwrapped pallets and dusty flooring. She heard the scuffle of rodents as they passed through the doors.

Janey spotted the exit doors first. She tugged on Clementine’s sleeve and pointed. A bright line of light spread across the floor, leading them towards freedom. After spending all that time trapped in the store, she’d forgotten that it was still daytime. Seeing the light startled her. And once she remembered it was there, every fiber in her body fought to find it. Keeping close together, they crossed through the maze of boxes, some of which had been chewed and opened by the rats, until Michael put his hands down and pressed the latch.

Bright light spread throughout the loading docks, bathing them all. Clementine inhaled deeply, the fresh air clearing her lungs. She’d spent too much time inside; she’d forgotten how stuffy and moldy the store was. This was beautiful. Breathtaking. She inhaled again, unable to get enough of that freshness into her body.

              Michael took Andrew into his arms and carried him down the metal steps. Janey ushered Casey and another girl through next.

              “We did it,” Janey said with a quivering voice. She took the hand of the final child and started walking down the stairs. Halfway down, she turned back to grin at Clementine.

              But her smile faded.

Clementine was halfway out into the light when the hands reached around her waist, pulling her back in.

“Michael!”

The door closed in slow motion as another set of hands circled her face. As she struggled, her flashlight dropped, bounced off her shoe, and rolled against the wall. Fingers dug into her hair and hot breath burned her neck.

When the teeth closed around her shoulder, she screamed. The pain tore through her body, paralyzing her. She wasn’t even aware she’d slipped from the Bagger’s grip until her knees hit the floor. Wetness soaked through her shirt and down her skin.  

“Clem!”

She could hear Michael, but she couldn’t see him. Something slammed against her, knocking her sideways and into a pile of boxes. She tried to climb to her feet, but she couldn’t get her arm to work properly. Pressing her palm against the floor, her hand slipped in an unknown sticky substance. It took a moment to realize it was her own blood. Spotting the flashlight a few feet away, Clementine reached out to grab it with numb fingers. She brought the light around and right into the eyes of the Bagger as it closed in on her.

Using the metal object, she slammed it into the Bagger’s face. The man jerked backward. Through the beam, she saw Michael come up from behind, grab the Bagger by the neck and shove his head into the wall. She heard something snap as the monster’s face connected with cement.

Hands reached out and grabbed at the flashlight. The second Bagger tore it away from her. He grinned at her with bloody teeth before switching it off. Once again she was plunged into blackness. Reaching into her pocket, Clementine pulled out Janey’s knife.

Clutching the weapon tightly in both hands, she waited for the inevitable moment when the Bagger would come for her.

Nothing happened.

“Michael?”

“I’m here.”

“Where?”

She heard scuffling from the right. And then from behind her. She swung the knife blindly at nothing. Listening to the darkness, she swung again when she heard the heavy breathing. Not fast enough.

The Bagger came from the front, launching itself through the air. The force pushed her back against the wall, her head smacking into cement. The pain vibrated through her shoulder, and for a terrifying moment, her whole body grew fuzzy and light. Teeth pressed against her skin again and something sharp went into her leg. She couldn’t even scream this time. She had no more air to spare. Any second the teeth would open up against her jugular and silence her forever.

No. Biting down on her tongue, she swung the knife outwards, listened to the grunt as the blade tore through muscle.

The body collapsed on top of her. Too much weight. She couldn’t breath. Pulling the knife out, she stabbed at the Bagger again. And again. She pushed the foul smelling man off her, scrambled to her knees and thrust the knife in one last time. Clementine wasn’t taking any chances.

“Clem?” Michael’s voice was soft and distant. Had he gotten turned around?

“I’m here. Where are you?”

“I don’t know. Can’t see. Are you okay?”

She pulled herself up and weaved back and forth on her heels for a few seconds. The pain in her thigh was bad, but nothing compared to her neck. She needed to get outside so she could check the damage. Get back to the van. Then she could pass out with a clean conscience.

“Go towards the light,” she whispered, very aware that there could still be more ferals closing in around them.

She pressed against the door, amazed at how heavy it was. Pushing hard on the handle, the light opened up once again. She could see Janey and the children looking up at her. Andrew clapped his hands together, but paused when he saw her blood soaked shirt.

“Michael?” She glanced back and saw him moving slowly towards her.

“Right behind you,” he said.

“Are you hurt?” Casey asked.

“I’m okay,” she said. But it took several tries to get her feet working on the steps. 

The sun shone down on her face and Clementine squinted. Behind her, she heard Michael following. The door closed behind him, sealing away all that blackness and horror.

“We did it,” she said, turning towards Michael. He smiled at her, but something wasn’t right. Clementine frowned, trying to figure it out.  Too much pain in her own body, complicating things.

But her head cleared up quickly when Michael stumbled on the final step. As he fell, she reached forward, grabbing him with her arms, trying to stop all his weight with her own aching body.

They both toppled to the ground.

“Michael?” She reached out, turning him onto his back so she could face him.

And she saw the long bloody gash in his chest, right below his heart.

Nothing

              I have forgotten what I wanted to tell you. Maybe it was important. Most likely it was a lie.

Lie. Lies. Liar.

Which one am I?

I am trying to mend my ways. To turn against the creature I’ve become. To bring out the bright, sunshiny personality that my mother always said I had. But penance isn’t a decision to make all the bad go away. It’s not something you can turn on and off like a faucet.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sharpest knife isn’t in the drawer. Sometimes you wake up and find it in your hand.

I’ve tried to stay away. To keep my distance. I’ve lied to myself. Over and over. No matter how many times I convince the angels, they keep sending me messages from the other side.

I love her. And that is not a lie. She is everything that is good in this world. And trust me, there isn’t much left.

How can the poor man lie in the gutter and still stare up at the stars? How can the woman who lost everything, still maintain her dignity? Her strength? Her love? How can someone like me still wish?

Wishes. If wishes were horses, there’d be a lot of horses. And what the hell kind of stupid analogy is that anyway?

No one needs a horse.

I will fight to my dying death. I will slay the dragons whether she wants me to or not. I will not give up. I will no longer stay away.

The time to run is over.

With all that light in the world, there is still hope. I see it in her eyes. In their eyes. A group. People who have come together and managed to stay alive. Impossible, but they’ve defied the odds. They’ve lived when millions have died. They held onto the light. Kept it in their pockets. Brought it out when times are at their worst.

But they’ve only scratched the surface.

Darkness is coming. And it’s going to get blacker than anything they’ve ever known before.

It’s a good thing they’ve got the light on their side. They will fight for all the things I wish I had. All the things I’ve lost. All the lives I’ve forgotten.

Even the worst nights must eventually end.

Chase the morning.

Don’t let the darkness drag you down.

Mason

              “This isn’t right.”

The words flashed through his ears, along with another message from a million years ago.