Rise Once More (16 page)

Only one thought was on their minds, and that was to run until they couldn't go any farther. Haus's legs burned as he sprinted through the waist high grass. Amy was several yards ahead of him and quickly outpacing him. Amy cut a hard right in front of him, partially turning around to motion for him to follow.

A group of refugees continued on, with the soldiers not far behind. Amy's tactic had worked; the soldiers had remained focus on the main group as they separated themselves from the crowd. With every stride the sounds of screaming and gunfire began to quiet down. Haus spotted a grain truck in the distance, and the two of them climbed up inside its empty box. They crouched down, and tried not to make any movement, hoping that the soldiers wouldn't notice their hiding spot. Their peace was short lived as another sound alerted them.
The helicopter!
Haus meant to say it out loud, but the words never exited his mouth. Haus nervously looked towards the sky, a feeling of helplessness gripping his chest. His hand extended, pressing Amy against the wall of the trucks box, hoping to shield her in some way.

The helicopter flew over them; Haus forced himself to look up at it, and immediately had to do a double take. The black helicopter, identical to the one that had flown him to the mine hovered above them. It was high enough in the sky that he could not see the faces of the passengers, but he could see the familiar gold symbol. “AMY! OMEGA PHI!”

Haus waved his hands frantically, hoping to get the attention of the pilot, but the helicopter only hovered and then moved on. Haus scurried up the side of the box, started to fling his body over the edge, until something caught his eye. He froze, his body began to shake, and he slowly lowered himself  back into the box alongside Amy.

“
What? You're white as a ghost.” Amy says, as Haus places his hand over her mouth, gesturing with his finger to be very quiet. He motions her to lay down, and positions himself right next to her, placing his head next to her. He begins to whisper into her ear, so soft she struggles to hear his words.

“
There are hundreds of them coming right this way. Do not make a sound.” Haus whispers. Amy slowly crawls towards a crack in the wooden box, the sun was starting to settle into evening, and looked out. There may have been thousands; an accurate count would be next to impossible, as the swarm advanced towards the camp.

The sheer number of them shook Amy to the core, the entire city of Wichita must be infected, and they were coming out in waves; an animated mass, moving in unison, but without any real purpose. They were marching forward, weaving in and out of the ranks of people, the infected had come to feed and they were about to be in the thick of it all.

Chapter Eighteen

Roca Segura

The rotors of the aircraft were starting to wind down, when Alex let out a sigh of relief; he had thought many times during the last few hours that they would surely be his last. Luckily for him his father had one last trick up his sleeve to ensure he made it back safe. Alex opens the door, grabs his gear, and walks towards the door.

He stops for a moment looking back at Eve, who is still refusing to talk to him, but at least they were safe for now. Roca Segura, or the ranch as his father called it. There was nothing ranch about this place, it was a safe house, built over the course of Reese's lifetime, spending many thousands of dollars for a place that they may never even need.

It always seemed like a waste of time to Alex, but for once he was glad Reese was paranoid enough to see it through. Unlike millions of others, they had a chance to survive this, and possibly even thrive. The door to the house opened just a crack, and then Theresa ran out to greet her son. “ALEX! Thank god you're safe! You had me so worried...” Theresa says.

“
Hey momma.” Alex says with a half smile. Theresa embraces him, but stops short when she notices another person in the helicopter.

“
Who is that?” Theresa asks.

“
Eve.” Theresa shoots Alex a confused stare as she glances back at the cockpit.

“
How on Earth did you find her? Between you and your father, I don't think I will ever understand what is going on around here.” Theresa stretches out her arms, while watching Eve exit the cockpit, offering her a gentle hug. “It's been ages dear. I am so glad to see you again honey. Come inside I will get something ready for you to eat. You must be famished.” Theresa says.

Theresa guides Eve over to a recliner and gesture for her to take a seat. “Make yourself comfortable dear, and please don't take offense to this but you look awful.” Theresa says.

Eve doesn't even reply, she just sits with a blank stare on her face, and begins to weep again. “You don't say anything sweet heart. It's not time yet. You need some food, a shower, and some clean clothes.”

“
What about Dad? Have you heard from him?” Alex asks.

“
The last thing he said to me was he was going to find you.” Theresa says.

“
He will be here soon then. I should have known he was behind the
escort
we got here.”

“
What escort? Are more people coming?” Theresa asks.

“
Mom, don't worry about it... No one else is coming. Some things are better off that you don't think about. Why don't you just get some food ready?” Alex says.

Alex walks out into the evening air, the sun casting off its final rays of light turns the sky a dim orange, he reaches into his pocket and retrieves a cigarette. He puffs on it slowly, and lets his nerves settle a bit before he heads towards the garage. He needs to get the chopper camouflaged before anyone spots it from above.

After covering the chopper with mesh, he heads to the guard tower; if Eve won't speak to him at least he can keep an eye out. A little alone time would be great to clear his mind, and think of what to do next. He opens the door to the tower and steps inside, opening a safe built into the wall and retrieves a rifle. He leans back in his chair, feet up on the ledge, and loads the ammunition in one round at a time.

The cold brass between his fingers was almost therapeutic to him. There has always been something comforting to him about the feeling of cold steel in his grip. It had never occurred to him, just how dark the world had become recently, not only the loss of most electricity, but also the things people are willing to do now.

I could have saved those two people in the truck. Eve asked me too, but I lied and left them to die. Eve bought into the story of the infected being to difficult to deal with, but the truth is... They can't fly! I suppose the real reason why I did it... Was Eve... If it is just the two of us... Eventually she will have to forgive me. It will take some time, but someday she will be with me until our time on this planet ends.

***

It was long into the night, when the sounds of gunfire finally stopped. Haus could only guess that the last survivor in the camp had either fled or been killed. Not that it mattered much, the noises from the infected marching past the grain truck, just kept coming. Until eventually there was silence, and at some point Haus drifted off to sleep.

The sun had risen once again, and its warmth shown upon Haus's face. He sleepily opened his eyes, was tempted to move at first, but remembered why he was in the position he was. He rose slowly, and looked out from the crack in the wood. To his amazement he saw no one, not even a single straggler fumbling through the grass.

He felt confident enough to take a better look and peaked over the edge of the truck. He looked down and noticed Amy was still sleeping below. The flames from the camp had extinguished, but smoke still rose from the wreckage of the fighter plane. In the distance he could not make out any movement, and the air had a very unpleasant stench.

He made up his mind that it was time to wake Amy and get very far away from this place. There was no guarantee that more infected may be coming soon, and it was better to get while the getting was good. Amy cringed when he placed his hand on her shoulder, but calmed down when she saw it was just him.

“Coast is clear. Let's get the hell out of here.” Haus says softly.

“
Really? I thought for sure we were done for.” Amy says. The two of them climb down from the truck and Amy is overwhelmed. “What is that smell?”

“
Death.” Haus says.

“
Let's just get out of here. Which way?” Amy says.

“
The helicopter went that way. My friends can't be too far away.” Haus says pointing in a north eastern direction. “The base must be nearby. When I left the hangar the ground was relatively flat. It has to be here somewhere in the Midwest.” Haus says.

“
What about Georgia?” Amy asks.

“
If we can't find them, there is always Georgia.” Haus says.

Haus and Amy spend the bulk of the day walking in the tall grass of the prairie, the craving for clean water always nagging on the back of their minds, and it becomes clear that they can't keep going much further. The last two days have taken a toll on their bodies, dehydrated, starving, and always looking over their shoulders.

They arrive at the top of a small hill, looking out below; they see a shallow valley and a house. The house is surrounded by a fence, with only a single road leading up to the gate entrance. “Look! A house.” Amy says her voice crackly from exhaustion.

“
Don't be so sure Amy. It looks fortified. People don't put up fourteen foot high fences to let people in.” Haus says.

“
We still need to try. We are going to die one way or another.” Amy says, as she marches down into the valley. They walk along the poorly maintained dirt road towards the house, arriving at the outer fence, and follow it towards the gate.

The gate was made of heavy steel bars, a camera staring down at them, and a sign adorning the top of the gate. “Roca Segura? What is that Spanish?” Haus says. Amy waves in front of the camera, showing her hands, and trying to signal that they are unarmed.

“Hello! We just need some water. Please help us.” Amy yells at the eye of the camera lens. It spins to life, focusing in on them, and a voice comes over the intercom.
Leave now. Final warning. I will fire.
“Please we just need a little water. We don't want any trouble.” Amy says.

The rocks at their feet explode, followed by the sound of a rifle shot. They start running and are chased by several more rounds, each one hitting the ground, as if the shooter deliberately missed. They ran back over the hill, their hearts racing, until they both collapsed on the side of the road.

***

The gun fire startled Eve, as she ran up the stairs to the guard tower, she opened the door to find Alex ejecting a spent shell from the chamber of his rifle. “What's going on?” Eve demands. Alex calmly closes the bullet proof window, and looks Eve directly in the eye.

“Nothing to worry about Eve. I have everything under control. Just a couple squatters trying to break into the place. Don't worry, those were just warning shots, I missed every time.” Eve looks up to see two figures scrambling up the hill, each at a full sprint until they disappeared on the other side.

“
Well since your here, you mind holding down the fort while I get a cup of coffee?” Alex says.

“
Yeah, but I am not shooting anybody.” Eve says coldly.

“
You don't have to. Use these binoculars and if you spot them again, let me know and I will shoot them for you.” Alex says.

“
Does it always have to be violent? Can't we just help people?” Eve asks.

“
Eve, you need to abandon that idea completely. It is way too late for helping anyone. I know you think people are fundamentally good, but when they are starving, cold, and scared they become animals. The same person begging for water will slit your throat and take everything you have. It is all about survival, and it is my job to make sure we survive. They are no longer people Eve. Animals... Nothing more than mindless animals. Humans are dead. Society is dead. Laws are dead. The sooner you learn that the better off you will be.” Alex says as he walks away, pausing for a moment as if he wants to say something more, then thinks better of it and closes the door behind him.

Chapter Nineteen

The Falcons Nest

Haus lay, partially incoherent, drifting in and out of unconsciousness. He is unaware but his body had already stopped sweating, the inner core temperature of his body was getting dangerously high, and his mind was unable to alert him of the dire situation he was in. Soon his body makes a cold yet calculated decision, a last ditch attempt at survival, and he passes out.

Amy nudges Haus. “Don't fall asleep... You have to stay awake.” Her own body barely functioning, her muscles were crampy, and fine motors skills were virtually nonexistent. Her brain continues to drift away from reality and she can't help but wonder.
“Is this how we are going to die?”
Her eyelids fluttering shut, as she struggles to remain awake. She thinks she can hear a sound coming down the road, but her vision is too blurry to decipher illusion from reality.

She turns her head back down towards the house in the valley, and notices a truck driving towards them.
“Maybe they are going to help us after all.”
She says in her weak voice. The gold colored SUV continues towards her, a trail of dust behind it, as the sun glares off the front windshield. “What if they don't see us...” She wonders out loud, gathering the strength to drag herself into the road. She places her hand down on the grass, pulling her agonizing body forward, each movement growing more painful than the next. She whimpers as her hand lands onto a sharp piece of gravel, normally she would pull her hand back, but with the little energy she had left, the only movement must be forward.

She drags forward again, pulling her exposed knees across the rocks, and as she puts weight on them, more rocks dig into her skin. Her mouth drops open and she exhales quickly, preparing herself for another push. Just as she brings her arm up to move again, the SUV stops in front of her, and a man steps out. “Are you ok?” The man asks.

“My friend...” She points behind her at Haus laying motionless on the ground.

“
Is he dead?” The man asks.

“
No” She says her voice even weaker than before. “We need water...” and she collapses to the ground. As the darkness envelops her, she can hear feet shuffling around, and a door slam. The gold SUV drives away, with Amy and Haus in the back cargo area.

Get some wet towels on their heads, and you give them some water out of your thermos. Roll down the windows we need air movement to evaporate the water and cool them down.

“Do you suppose they are refugees?

It doesn't look that way. They are wearing civilian clothes and I don't see any markings on them. Except this one with the crappy bar code tattoo. A bad ink job doesn't make you a refugee. Just makes you an idiot for getting it done.

“How about the girl? Search her too?”

“
Of course! We need to see if they are infected, check for wounds or bite marks. Especially under her bra, soft tissue seems to break easiest.

“
Front looks clear, let's have a look at the back. Well... What do we have here? A little white rabbit tattoo on her butt cheek. Cute. No wounds.”

“
That's enough. Get her clothes back on. This is a medical evaluation not a photo shoot. Keep focused boys, we got a job to do here.”

“
What job is that?”

“
Whatever the hell I tell ya to do! You got a problem with that?”

“
No problems, you da boss man. So we take em back to the fort now?”

“
I don't think the old lady will take kindly to me bringing a broad home. For my sake they better be a couple, or shit is going to hit the fan. Fred take us back to Festung Der Falke.

“
Let's hope Frau Ava is in a good mood sir.”

“
I will take care of my wife. Just get us back in one piece.”

***

Haus awoke, his head felt as if it was splitting down the center. He looked up at his new surroundings, alien to him, dimly lit by candles and torches. A large tapestry hung above the bed he was laying on. He turned to look at it, a golden eagle, clutching a black swastika embossed in a wreath. He gazed around the room, seeing many more swastika themed items, when women began to enter his room.

“
Oh look he is awake!” One said, as she giggled at his naked body. Another came up behind him with a plate of grapes, lowering the silver dish in front of him.

“
I bet you're hungry. Perhaps, you could try some of my forbidden fruit?” She said seductively.

“
Back off girls. He hasn't even seen my melons.” Another woman said as she giggled and lifted a tray of musk melon to his nose. “Isn't that the sweetest thing you have ever sniffed before?” She picks up a piece and places it into Haus's mouth. “Just wait till you taste it, the juices will drive you mad.” She bites her thumb, waiting for his response.

A man's voice breaks through the air. “Are you the one they call Haus?” A well dressed gentlemen, sits opposite him in a lounge chair. His uniform heavily decorated with a multitude of medals and ribbons. “Wenches, you are dismissed; I need to speak to Mr. Haus alone. Official business, now be gone.”

The women haste-fully leave the room, and to Haus's dismay took the food with them. “I gotta say that was the biggest cock block I have ever seen. Is there a reason you want to see me, and why I couldn't have enjoyed some food first?” Haus asks.

“
I anticipated that you would react this way. Do trust me however, that the things we are going to discuss are far more important than whores and fruit.”

“
How about a name? Mr. mysterious-cock-blocker. Or should I just call you General Buzzkill?” Haus says.

“
My name is Evander Richter. Welcome to our home. I think you should find yourself comfortable here. This is Festung Der Falke, a military installation quite far from where we found you. Excuse me; you most likely don’t speak German. Let me translate. This is Fort Falcon, home to the NASP; The North American Socialist Party.

“
We have been watching you for a while Mr. Long.” Haus pauses for a moment to let the words settle into his tingling skull.
How long has it been since someone said that name? This seemingly strange man actually knew my real name. What else does he know about me?
Haus tosses the questions around silently, the words safe inside his own brain.

“
Who the hell are you people?” Haus asks.

“
Are you caught off guard by using your real name?” Ricther asks.

“
Kinda.” Haus says sullenly.

“
So you do not deny it? Like I said before, we have been watching for quite some time, and have learned everything about you. You tried to mask your identity, by using other handles, but you always left a trail to follow. We simply followed it, and connected certain dots together. We assembled this information, not to indict you, rather to enlist your help.”

“
What makes you so sure I can help you?” Haus asks.

“
We saw what you did for the dirty native, class A work, a bit sloppy, you must have been in a hurry eh?” Richter says inquisitively. He leans forward a little more, a look of disgust partially painting his milky white face. A look more of disappointment, that Haus would ever consider helping one of the filthy races. Richter was however willing to let it slide, as long as Haus could produce for them as well.

“
We need someone like you on our side, to further the republic of course.” Richter says.

“
The whole system is down, what I used to exploit is offline. SO what could I offer you?” Haus says.

“
That is true. Much of it is offline, except what we are after, you and I both know a little power outage would never shut THAT down.” Richter says, his eyes piercing into Haus's gaze, a wrinkle of his brow to emphasize that he knew all too well what THAT was.

“
You can bypass it in a heartbeat. You have done it before. The gates are already weakened, we just need a phalanx to march in and take it over. Grant our officers access, and you are free to go. With as many whores as you choose to take along.” Richter shuffled in his seat, straitening his uniform, and retrieving a Ruger side arm from his hip holster. Holding the weapon directly in front of him, his right hand on the grip, his left resting on the back, he slowly flips the safety to the fire position, the clicking sound made Haus's heart skip a beat. Ricther calmly lowers the weapon and places it on the nightstand next to the bed, not even for a moment removing his eyes from Haus's.

His demeanor was cold, merciless, and calculated. Richter had been in many situations like this before, his nerve tempered from many negotiations over the years. Some ended well, others he would never speak of, but in the end the result was the same; a perfect unblemished record of confessions, agreements, and favorable outcomes. If Richter were ever placed in a concert hall, with every soul he snuffed out, it would be standing room only.

“That is the offer Mr. Long. Or do you prefer to be called Haus now?” Richters voice growing impatient in tone, yet was steady, and unforgiving. Richter waited for a few minutes, again his expression never changed, completely fixated onto Haus's eyes. “You are not ready yet. Completely understandable, please do take your time, this is really important. Do you mind if I tell you a story while you... How do you Americans say it? Oh yes! Weigh your options.”

Haus grew increasingly nervous every time Richter spoke. It wasn't the words he spoke, it was the intangibles, there was something about Richter, lurking somewhere under his skin. Something that made Haus shake to his very core. You could not read such a man; nothing about him gave away his agenda, if he even had one. Haus was sure he was after something more than what he could offer.

Richter lifted his index finger and began to speak. “When I was a boy, it was a custom in our little town to send young boys into the wilderness to become men. They started singling us out around age ten. Gathering us up each year around the fall, we stood in front of the town, wearing the hunting outfits that our mothers had made for us.”

“
The objective was simple really. The town wanted us to grow up and become strong young men capable of providing for a family. To prove this, involved a test, a testament they called it to our man hood. You were not considered a man until you could go out, for weeks at a time, knee deep in snow, and come back with the bleeding heart of a wolf.”

“
The heart itself was just a symbol, a way to prove we had succeeded in a successful hunt, often times the victor came back with the heart of a different animal. It was a partial fraud, but it didn't matter, the adults knew what animal the hearts came from. They never said anything, they just let us live in the moment, knowing that as long as it had a heart; it meant that food had been obtained.”

“
My first two hunts were not satisfactory, not because of my own ineptitude, but I didn't fully understand how the game worked. The older kids left me behind with the weaklings, they never even gave me a chance, they just assumed I was too young like the others, and I needed to wait another year to grow stronger.”

“
The first time, I killed an elk, and three of the older kids ambushed me, two of them held me down as one of them carved out the heart, leaving me behind to carry the meat back to town, while they claimed the prize. The second time was something really special....”

“
I was alone at first. A few weaker kids, had heard about the previous year, and soon clung around me hoping to gain my respect. They knew I could hunt. They knew I had won the year before, and they wanted in on the action. The few of us headed towards a break in the cliff, marching forward until we found a clearing in the trees. None of them had any idea what was waiting for us. For the first time in as long as anyone could remember, there was actually a wolf. We saw it laying down, nursing four pups, seemingly unaware of our presence.”

“
I motioned for them to follow me to the back side of some pine trees. We crept in closely, avoiding downed twigs, we moved like an elite group of mercenaries, they followed orders perfectly, and soon we were less than two meters from the wolf. I can still her surprised cries, as the spear thrust into her abdomen. She just like the older kids had underestimated us, and she ultimately paid the price.”

“
After the kill we danced, celebrated, and got ready to harvest the heart. The boys had all unanimously voted that I should take the trophy back down to the village. That is, until Joven showed up. Joven, the pride and joy of the village was here to reclaim the biggest price of them all. He pushed and shoved his way into the circle, his arrogance making the others cower away.”

“
Joven was the elders son, our up and coming leader, and he was here to take it away from me. To lay claim to a prize, that was meant for me, but he lusted for. As the others cowered like withered dogs under his will, the rage built up inside of me, and pure hatred flowed through my veins. He and his friends had robbed me once, shame on them, rob me twice, shame on me.”

“
My fathers words echoed into my mind. That proverb had been drilled into me from a very early age, and I was not about to let this trophy go. Yes. I stood down, and I let Joven take the heart. He happily carved it out, placed it upon his hands, and rushed down to the village below. The boys looked out at me in pure disbelief, a sense of betrayal wavered among them. I sensed it, and I knew I had to make it right.”