The Last Legacy (Season 1): Episodes 1-10 (40 page)

“Don’t stop now! I’m gonna blow ’til it sparks more.” He blew, this time a bit stronger. The smoke trailed right into my eyes, burning them, but I refused to stop. I turned to the side to block the smoke, my hands moving by themselves, second nature now. Marcus must’ve seen my discomfort because he placed a cupped hand around my eyes, crouching beside me.
 

“You did it!” Marcus yelled.
 

A small orange flame danced in the cool wind around us. Gavin threw more kindling on top, and it grew even larger. I couldn’t turn the stick anymore, so I dropped them. I fell backwards onto the dirt, my arms falling lifelessly beside me.
 

When I could muster the energy, I looked over at my hands and saw them coated with dark blood stains. Since I wasn’t using my hands anymore, the pain became more real. My palms throbbed like they had third degree burns, white blisters pulsing like a spider tried to birth from them. My shoulder muscles felt non-existent.

“We should give Miss Lana another chocolate bar,” Marcus whispered to Gavin. Gavin chuckled, and I cracked a smile, too. I shut my eyes as I let my body relax. At least we’d be able to boil some water from the lake and fill what bottles we had left.
 

I sat up, my head rushing with blood. I held my hands over the now foot-tall fire as Gavin shoved dry sticks underneath it, still tending the flame like it was a fragile infant. He smiled at me with pride as I stared, mesmerized by the flames.

“Wow,” Jim said as he emerged from the hut. He flashed me a smile and a thumbs up. Mike walked out backwards. He and Gabe carried Maggie in their arms. Her body looked completely limp; blood dripped off of her to the dirt.
 

Marcus was in perfect sight. I jumped up before he could notice and grabbed his hand. I tugged him away from the fire, jogging towards the road in an attempt to protect his innocence.
 

“Want to get some more wood? Maybe we can sneak another candy.” I wiggled my eyebrows. I now had resorted to bribery. His eyes lit up with mischief as we slunk around the side of the building. “I didn’t get to ask you yet, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay. How are you handling your mom’s passing?”
 

I stopped when we were at the curb and sat down, tugging him down with me. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure we were still in view and then focused on Marcus. Wrapping my arm around his slight shoulders, I tugged him close, both for comfort and warmth. My breath puffed out in little clouds.

“She didn’t pass away though. The eaters, they just ate her, right?”
 

I nodded, not knowing what to say. It probably wasn’t my place to say much at all, but I didn’t think Mike was in the right frame of mind. And he’d probably say something insensitive to make matters worse.

“It’s still really hard, though. You can cry if you have to. Or get angry. It’s not fair that you had to lose your mom when you’re so young.” I rubbed his upper arm.

“Where’s your mom?” he asked. I didn’t like talking about my past. Yet at the same time, I wanted to help Marcus. He deserved the truth. He was a good kid, who just wanted some attention. If his dad wouldn’t give him some, I could.

“I never met my mom. Or my dad. You’re real lucky you still have your dad.” The trees across from us swayed in the chilly breeze. The houses across the way were shadowed by large oaks and even larger houses. Mini-mansions lined the lake, each with their own boat and dock.

“Yeah…” His voice trailed like he didn’t quite believe what he was saying.
 

“How are you so brave?” I asked him, staring down at his evergreen eyes. I didn’t think this was a normal response. At eleven, there was no way he could be this understanding. His heart should’ve been ripped out like Mike’s. But he sat beside me, staring off at the empty road calmly.
 

“My mama told me that she was going to die soon. She promised she’d be in heaven. She didn’t like this place anymore, and she was going to die. She said it. So I guess, I don’t know. I kind of expected it.”

“It still makes it really sad though, right?”

He nodded. “I miss her a lot. But she’s happy. That’s what my grandma said heaven was like. You’re always happy. Mama didn’t like the eaters, and she got mad. But now she’s really happy. Maggie will be okay, right?” His light eyes lifted to meet mine.

“Do you remember my friend Kev?” Marcus nodded, leaning his head against my shoulder. My heart fluttered at his affection. I didn’t deserve it. “He got bit, and then he turned into an eater. It was very dangerous. Well—” I paused, trying to stop my rapid heart from erratically lodging in my throat. “Your sister got bit on the arm.”

“So they have to kill her, right?” His eyes glassed over as he looked down at the cracked pavement. He chewed on his lower lip, his fingers twisting and knotting around each other.
 

“I, uh, I’m not sure, Marcus. But she’s not going to make it.”

“If she changes to an eater, will she want to kill us?”

“Yes,” I said without hesitation. I didn’t want to scare him, but he needed to understand the circumstances. It was terrible that he was being raised in this fucked-up environment. But here we were. And we couldn’t change it. He needed to know how dangerous they were so he’d never hesitate on killing should he have to.
 

“My dad will be sad. Super sad. He loves them more than me.” He looked down as he kicked his foot out, rubbing it across the gravel. He leaned forward and picked up one of the rocks, his feet scraping on the ground. He chucked the pebble across the street.

“Your dad is a strong man, just like you. And he loves you, Marcus. I’m really happy that we’re friends now.”

“We’re friends?” Marcus turned towards me, his eyes wide.
 

“Of course. I shared my chocolate with you, and we played spies.”
 

“Maggie wouldn’t even play with us.” He crossed his skinny arms over his chest and pouted, sticking his lower lip out.
 

“She’s a girl. She liked her dolls more. Listen, you’re going to have to be extra brave for your daddy, okay?” He straightened his lips and nodded, staring up at me. “Let’s get some sticks and go back to camp. You okay?”
 

“I’m okay.” He nodded a few times.

We walked over to the edge of the lake and found sticks from nearby trees. I piled them into Marcus’s arms. He groaned the whole time, complaining that they poked at him. He had to suck it up since they were the only dry ones around. I carried two larger logs, hoping to make the fire extra high and hot.

When both our arms were full, I realized we had wandered off farther than I would’ve liked. I glanced up after snapping off a limb and didn’t recognize anything. Marcus stood waiting for me near the road.
 

Behind me a twig snapped. I dropped the log I held onto my foot and pulled out my gun from my back pocket. My toes throbbed, but I remained in position. Mike appeared in the dimming light from behind a grouping of bushes. He strutted forward like he was more surprised to see us than we to see him.
 

“Daddy!” Marcus dropped his twigs with a crash and darted towards his dad. Long gone was the mature boy. This one just wanted his father.

“Son, I need you to go back to camp, now. Your sister didn’t make it.” Mike’s voice broke at the end. His back faced me as he stared down at Marcus. Sorrow pulsed off him in heavy waves.

“She died?” Marcus asked, still clinging to his father’s waist.

“Yes,” Mike whispered.

“Where are you going?” I asked him from a few feet away. I didn’t want to get closer, for fear of invading their family bubble. But on the same hand, I didn’t trust Mike.

“I’m just taking a walk. I gotta think some things through,” Mike said. He glanced up from Marcus to me with squinted eyes. Dread filled my gut. I couldn’t let him walk alone after seeing him cutting himself behind the hut. He was in no mental state to be left alone. How could Jim have let him leave?

Michael pulled Marcus off of him and bent down so they were at eye level. He kissed his son on the lips and pulled him in for another hug, this one tighter and stronger. He let him go, stood, and then walked in the opposite direction down the dead street. Without a glance behind, he faded into the shadows.

Marcus came to me with questions in his eyes. My nerves shot off. He was going to kill himself. In my deepest of hearts, I knew it. But I refused to let him take the easy way out. I had to step in. But did I have a right to? I didn’t know what t do.

“Run back to camp. Find Gavin and don’t leave his side.” I locked my eyes with Marcus’s to make sure that he understood what I said.

He nodded, then ran behind me towards the very faint light that was the fire in the distance. Making sure my steps were quiet, I ran in the direction Mike had, following behind. When I caught sight of him, I hid behind a giant oak tree as I watched. I stayed a few steps behind, just enough to keep myself unknown.
 

Mike stopped, and I did too. I crept behind the side of a house as I peeked around to spot him. Something touched my shoulder. A hand squeezed it. I spun around with my gun raised, ready to kill. I kept my hands steady as my stomach sank. My eyes met Jim’s. He wore a frown on his face, his eyebrows pinched.
 

“What the fuck are you doing out here alone?” Jim hissed as he too raised his gun. He aimed it past me around the side of the house. He bent down behind me, his side pressing against mine.

“You idiot! You scared the crap out of me.” I smacked him on the chest, as my pulse skyrocketed. It took me a moment to catch my breath. “Michael’s going to kill himself. And I refuse to let him fuck that kid up more. He deserves better.” I pointed behind me towards where Marcus once was.

“How do you know? He seemed all right after we buried Maggie. Not suicidal at all.” Jim peeked around the tree and gestured for me to follow him as we hugged the side of a lake house. Mike was two blocks up, staying on the road. He walked jaggedly, his steps overlapping one another.

“I caught him cutting himself after Margaret died. He tried to ignore it and brush me off. But I’m not stupid.”
 

“People who cut aren’t always suicidal,” Jim said as he pursed his lips.

“Can you just trust me? I knew someone like him before who cut. And I’m not letting him give up like she did.” At Jim’s cocked head, I answered, “I won’t, Jim. It’s not fair to Marcus. He lost them both, too, and he’s more adult about it than his father.”

“Lana, okay. I’ll help you stop him.” Jim brushed his hand along my jaw. “But if he really does want to die, he’s going to get his way. You know that, right?” Jim’s dark eyes matched the navy sky as they pierced me.

“I have to try.”
 

“Come on.” Jim shook his head and took my hand in his, running with me by his side. Mike stopped at a three way intersection and sat down in the middle of the road. I could barely make out his dark frame from our vantage point. The moon seemed to spotlight him as he just sat there, unmoving.
 

I was about to say something to Jim when Mike pulled out something that glistened from the back of his pants. His back was to us but he held something in front of his face, and I realized what he had. It was my fucking knife! He must have taken it from Marcus. I forgot to get it back during the scuffle with the eaters.

I lunged forward to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life. Jim grabbed me around the waist holding me back. I spun around to fight him off me.
 

Jim put his finger to his mouth, shushing me. I relaxed. I turned with Jim’s arms still holding me. Mike inspected the knife, spinning it around and twisting it. The light played off the metallic part, dancing in the moonlight.

“He won’t do it,” Jim said from behind me in a whisper. His body pressed against mine, his breath hot in my ear. My mind focused on saving Michael only. Nobody else was going to die on my watch.
 

I heard the clink of the knife as Michael dropped it. He slumped forward onto the pavement, his body folding over itself. The knife clattered. I let out a heavy breath that I didn’t know I was holding.
 

Mike’s sobs ricocheted across the street, bouncing off vacant houses and storefronts. His head dropped into his hands as a cry escaped his lips. Something groaned from behind us, and I turned around, coming face to face with an eater. I stepped back, stumbling as my breath caught in my throat.

I lifted my gun, but Jim moved faster. He jammed his knife right into the eater’s mouth, lifting it up so it lodged into his skull. He paused, making sure the eater had fully gone, and then pulled the knife out. The eater fell to the ground in a pile of decaying flesh. I kicked it to the side.
 

“Who’s there?” Mike asked as if sensing us. Maybe he heard us. He jumped up from the pavement, bending down to grab the knife. He held it in front of him and even from ten feet away I saw it shake. Jim and I walked in the middle of the street.

“This bitch again,” Mike mumbled.

“Don’t call her a bitch,” Jim growled as he stepped in front of me. I shoved past him so Mike could look me in the eyes. I was tired of Jim protecting me, shielding me. I could do this alone.
 

“You’re going to kill that boy if you think dying is the answer,” I said, keeping my voice even-keeled.
 

“It’s none of your damn business.”
 

I flinched at his words but stood my ground. I wouldn’t give up on something I believed in. And that boy deserved his father around. Michael was a coward.

“We’re all a group, so it is my business. We work together—we have each other’s backs. If you’re gone, who will watch your kid? Who will raise him? You may want to leave, but I tell you what, he doesn’t want you to. He’ll be crushed.”

“It’s not your business.” He pronounced every syllable like a threat, daring me to say another word. I wouldn’t be shot down. Whether it was my business or not, someone had to look after that child. Marcus deserved better. And I would fight for him if Mike wouldn’t.