The Desolate

My mind was in a daze, and my head ringing when I woke up on the side of the dirt road. I didn't move for a long moment, waiting for my senses to return. But the longer I waited the more it seemed to hurt. When my eyes opened at least, I was surrounded by thick grass and tall trees, and the smell of blood, burnt flesh, and fuel was nearly enough to make me gag instantly. It took me a long moment to get my bearings as the memories slowly crept back into my mind, "Ashe?" I said, my voice coming out as little more than a low rasp.

I slowly sat up and listened and looked around for zombies. But my vision was still blurred and the ringing made it hard to know for sure one way or the other. The truck had rolled onto its roof, wrecked and strewn across the dirt road, with the bags of supplies scattered far beyond that. "Shit!" I hissed to myself as pain shot through my whole body, its sharpest focus boring into my shoulder and legs.

I growled at myself for my weakness and went to stand up, but fell back instantly, feeling an instant jolt of burning pain digging deeper into my shoulder. and then I felt it again across the side of my face. And the unmistakable taste and smell of blood; my own blood dripping into the open wound on my left cheek. “Fuck!” I hissed, clutching my shoulder, my fingertips finding a bullet hole just below my collarbone. It wasn't the gunshot that had me worried as I checked my bones before searching for an exit wound. Searching my back, I quickly found another hole, giving me hope that the bullet had simply passed through.

The thought gave me some confidence that my body would hold up, so I moved to stand again, gritting my teeth through the pain this time. My jaw clenched tight, shaking as I took a tentative step towards the wreckage. I felt a harsh sting on the side of my face again as the cool sea breeze brushed across the open wound. I poked around a large gash on the left side of my face finding a chuck of flesh missing. "Mother-fucker!" I growled as I went to put weight on my left leg.

My vision was blurred as I stepped forward slowly, limping carefully through the pain. My head pounded from what was obviously a severe concussion, but that was the least of my worries as I looked around for the three women. But I could only see Michael's lifeless body, still in the driver’s seat of the overturned truck. Half of his face was gone as his body hung lifeless and limp behind the wheel of the upturned vehicle. But there was no sign of the others except for some tire tracks handing back to the Thornton. Thankfully the zombies hadn’t found the truck, or there was no chance I’d have survived. I limped over to the overturned cab as panic sunk into my chest, searching.

“Ashe?” I called out, my voice barely louder than the rasp that had come out moments earlier. The CB radio was a mess, so raising help from Jericho was out of the question, but Michael had a handheld radio still attached to his belt. Its range was probably not far, so I doubted it would reach more than a few kilometers, but I hoped that it might at least raise someone nearby. I reached into the truck to gather the radio, prying it from Michael's hip and then fell backward onto the grass. Pain once again jolted through me, though this time it seemed focused on my ankle as my dulled senses slowly sharpened with the urgency of the situation. But I didn’t dare remove my boot to check the damage, though I had no doubt it was at least fractured.

I turned on the radio as I lay in the grass, speaking, my voice still strained, “Hello, hello, is anyone out there?”

There was static for a long moment before a familiar deep voice said, “Hey Jack, long time no see! I’m glad you could make it. I thought you were dead, and I was going to have all the fun with these lovely ladies without an audience. But that’s fine! Hey, listen, I’m trying to decide which one to have for dinner tonight and which one should share my bed with. What would you suggest? I'll bet this redhead is a great fuck, but blonde here looks fresh. I doubt she's ever had a man in that tight little pussy before.”

All feeling dropped out from me in an instant; my own pain was forgotten as the thought of what he would do to Ashe flashed across my mind, then Millie and Natalie. “Where are you? You can have me if you let them go,” I said into the radio.

“Now-now, Jack, there’s no rush—I mean, I don’t have to eat all your pretty girlfriend in one sitting, just an arm will do, or maybe one of those sexy thighs. Hell, this redhead of yours has put on some meat since I last saw it in a cage.” His voice carried a dark sinister edge to it, “I could just keep her for my bed and just take bits off as I need to on my way home. Especially after you made me drive all this fucking way.” My blood was boiling in a way that I had not felt before as adrenaline flooded my body from head to toe. My panic and fear soon gave way to rage. “Are you still with me, Jack? You better stay with me, buddy; you get a front-row seat. Say hello, honey,” he said sadistically.

“Jack, help please!” Ashe cried through the radio, before letting out a blood-curdling scream. Her agony ripped through to my soul, as she cried out.

I had no words as something in my mind snapped, and all I could manage was a low snarl. My senses sharpened as the adrenaline and rage pulsed through every inch of me. My own pain and suffering became little more than a dull thud as my vision narrowed. Then I heard waves crashing coming through the radio faintly between another scream from Ashe. “Stop! You sick fuck.” Natalie cried out from somewhere in the background. The echo of her voice and the subtle sound of waves told me that they were in an enclosed area by the beach, one of the cabins, or a house somewhere near the water.

They surely would not have gone back to the same place we'd just been. Either way, it was the first place to check as I picked up my rifle from the grass and headed back towards the town as quickly as I could move on my broken ankle. I limped through the pain as my veins throbbed with rage and murder, the sleeping monster in my chest rearing up once again. Consuming my mind with blood and death as I charged back across the bridge. The cries and agony through the radio make the vision blacker and bloodier with each passing step. Once I got to the highway, I noticed a dirt road heading south with fresh tire tracks, following the path wherever it took me. “Damn, Jack! You have fattened this one up nicely for me,” The sinister voice of Samuel Dennis said sadistically as he chewed through the radio, licking his lips. “Damn that’s fuckin’ good, but we’re going to need a few more slices for tonight. Hold still, sweetheart!” Another scream came through the radio before I heard Millie and Natalie scream and curse for him to stop.

I ran with a limp along the dirt road, trying desperately to block the pain of my ankle, ignoring the gathering of zombies that followed close behind. Paralleling the road through a line of trees as I approached a small clearing. And there they were, it was an area that was once used for camping just a few hundred meters from the highway, with an old cabin not unlike the safe house. Though this one had been left to the elements. I saw one man standing guard, his face was not familiar, and he had probably been a replacement for one of the men I had already killed.

And there was another drinking a bottle of alcohol at the cabin door, enjoying whatever he was seeing. I realized it could easily have been an ambush—but then again, these guys had never been that smart, and my urgent concern for Ashe trumped my reason at that moment. Visions of blood clouded my judgment. I heard another scream through the radio, this time from Millie who let out a scream of anger as if throwing punches. “No! You pig, NO!” she cried out in pain. My veins turned to ice as her screams echoed, not just from the radio but from the open door of the old cabin when one of the men was watching intently.

“You are all going to fucking die,” I snarled into the radio before tossing it aside.

Sam’s cold laugh came through it once more as I raised my rifle and fired again and again without a second thought, killing one of the men instantly while the other was shot through the neck and lay gargling on the ground, choking on his own blood and the alcohol he’d been drinking as he tried to scream. Sam was suddenly distracted from his brutal torture as I neared the cabin.

I moved into cover as the large herd of zombies following me along the dirt road neared. It looked clear, so I ran for the cabin, hoping to get the jump on him when a gunshot rang out to my right, just before something hit me in the shoulder again, just meters from the cabin door causing me to collapse once more.

I looked up in time to see a man approaching from a position amongst the surrounding trees. His eyes moved from me to the approaching herd of zombies. Sam rushed out of the cabin his pants still not properly tied up as I caught sight of Millie, naked and curdled up in the corner of the small room. But still, I couldn’t see Ashe or Natalie. My rage took over completely, flooding every inch of my soul with hate as I unclipped my knife, leaned up, and hurled it at the one approaching with the rifle, striking him in the chest with the blade. I watched him drop to the ground as I turned to face Sam, unable to get to my feet as he quickly closed the gap between us. Launching his foot into the side of my head with all his strength.

My head rang as I glared up at the man who had been on our trail for weeks, the look on his face seemed to go from sadistic torturer to scared boy as he spotted the nearing herd of zombies.

The man looked around, sensing the danger before glaring down at me and growling, “You are one stubborn fuck; I can’t help but respect it!” He pulled out a pistol and aimed a pistol at my chest, “I just want you to know that none of this is personal for me, Jack. It’s been great fun hunting you, and when I present your head to Malcolm Bishop, I’ll be fuckin’ rich, and when I tell him all about the settlement here not only will I be rich, I’ll fucking run this place. All those women, and not a fuckin' one would dare say no...” I glared up at him as he prepared to fire his gun, his hand squeezing the trigger, “You can thank those fuckin’ farmers out west; I thought I’d lost you, honestly. But God damn the old man talked after I started making jerky with his sons. They were good and healthy too. The wife was a bit tough; it must be said but it’s an age thing. You’d know that after all the shit your lot did to my people. But that girl in there is nice and tender. I might even let her heal and just keep fuckin’ and eating the little slut until there is nothing left of her mind.”

Then, as quickly as his words finished, I saw Ashe crawl up behind him, blood spurting from her thigh as she lunged forward. A piece of broken glass clenched tightly in her hand as she jammed it deep into the back of his knee, causing him to drop to the ground just long enough for me to kick the gun away. I used his weight and the adrenaline to climb to my feet quickly as I grabbed his shoulders, slamming my knee up into his chest and head over and over. The blackness and murder in my soul filled my soul as I let out a loud roar as I felt his face cave in against each blow from my knee. I savagely kicked him when he fell to the ground, the rage still burning until the sound of zombies growling and snarling as they closed in on us. My eyes met Ashe, realizing that she was really still there, “Jack! Get inside!”

I picked up Ashe under her shoulders and dragged her into the cabin, both of us in agony, pushing through the pain. Slamming the door closed and barricading it with a sturdy table under the handle, I then collapsed beside her. My breath labored as I pulled her into my arms, the rage and anger fading in an instant as I caressed her soft hair and kissed her softly once more on the lips. The front porch of the cabin was raised just like the safe house, and the door seemed sturdy enough. With the fresh corpses outside, there was a good chance that they'd simply have their meal and forget we were inside.

Moments later, the unmistakable rasp of zombies filled the air, their putrid smell was unmistakable as I heard one of the slavers scream as the zombies piled on top of his body. Distracting the herd away from the people sheltering inside the cabin.

I sat for a moment, listening to the crunch of bone and agonizing cries from the men outside, taking in a deep breath as my mind slowly returned to me. Finally able to fully process what had just happened, and what was still happening in front of me. Natalie was tied to a steel pipe, her face and body covered in cuts and bruises. She’d been beaten but she was otherwise okay. Millie, on the other hand, still hadn't moved—her body was naked and exposed, covered in bruises and a large gash from a knife on her stomach. And it was then I noticed the blood on her inner thigh as she clutched her knees to her chest, crying. Ashe sat leaning against the table by the door, her face was nothing short of agony as she winced in pain. Her thigh had a large chunk of flesh missing, having been cut away roughly. She took in a long series of deep breaths as if trying desperately not to scream and let our company know we were in the cabin. I crawled closer to her, putting my hand on her cheek, leaning in to kiss her, whispering, “I’m sorry!”

She shook her head. “Don’t be sorry, Jack, it’s not your fault. They just got the jump on us!” I held her for a long moment, her arms wrapped tightly around me. “Help Millie,” she whispered through gritted teeth.

The girl still hadn’t moved. Natalie looked over at Ashe and me apologetically, unable to free herself. I slowly approached Millie, who backed away instinctively, pressing herself back against the wall when she saw me. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s me, Jack.” I said softly, stopping just in front of her. “It’s okay, you’re okay!” I pulled off my shirt and handed it to her to cover her naked and ravaged body, her clothes were torn and destroyed on the ground beside her, having been cut away by her attacker. Besides a few superficial wounds, physically she seemed okay. She took the shirt cautiously, pulling it over herself, her tears flowing. “It’s okay now,” I whispered as I reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Ashe crawled over carefully, trying not to move her leg too much as each sudden movement brought with it more blood. The second Millie made eye contact with Ashe she seemed to return to come back to reality, her eyes full of panic and shame, her words making little sense. “I…I…I have never had sex before…” she cried as she collapsed into Ashe’s arms on the floor beside her.

Ashe held the girl and whispered, “It was rape, not sex—and you have nothing to be ashamed of. That pig is dead, he got exactly what he deserved.”

I made my way over to Natalie to try and get her free of the cuffs. I didn’t know how to help Millie, but Ashe seemed to be doing okay, and I figured Natalie would be able to assist a lot more in this case. “The key is outside with that asshole, when the zombies clear off, we can get it,” she whispered. She then looked over at her niece and said, “Millie, come here!” The girl looked up, glancing at me, hesitating for a long moment. So I made a point of backing away slightly, and she rushed over to the safety and security of Natalie's waiting arms. The older woman who had seen everything, and just held her younger niece. And I could see in that moment, that this was most certainly not the first time Natalie had done this for someone.

I limped back over to Ashe as the adrenaline slowly faded from my body, and my own agony started to return. My eyes turned to her leg as I started examining it carefully. I would need to clean the wound properly, but it would have to wait until the zombies left. She sat stoically, willing herself to be silent through the agonizing pain. Looked over my wounds quickly assessing each gunshot. “At least one of the bullets seems to have gone straight through, and the others look shallow. I think he only used a .22?” she said as she gently searched for an exit wound from the second gunshot.

The crunching and chewing of bone and flesh dulled over the next hour or so as the zombies slowly moved on, forgetting all about us. After a while, I picked up my rifle and headed quietly to the porch to get a better look. The herd was dispersing along the dirt road, leaving the dead slavers where they fell. They had taken large chunks from the leader but left his body physically intact as they almost always did. He had already begun to turn, so I moved quickly back into the cabin as I struggled to move Ashe away from the door. “Are we in the clear?” Ashe whispered before Millie moved up next to me with a knife in hand.

I nodded to her, thankful for the backup. She seemed to have snapped back into reality for the moment, a testament to the girl’s underlying strength. “Let’s do this!” she whispered.

I nodded back to the girl, explaining, “Those slavers are turning! They are fresh, so they will move quicker than the old ones. We need to take them out before they clear off. We need to get the key for those handcuffs.” Millie helped me move the table as I gritted my teeth through the pain in my shoulder. “Cover me,” I said, handing her my pistol as I forced down all emotion and pain once again.

“Got it,” she said, holding the pistol up to the door, “I won’t shoot unless I have to, we don’t want to bring them back this way!”

“Jack?” Ashe called to me from her spot on the floor. “Here!” She handed me a knife, the same one that had been used on her leg it seemed. She then summoned me over, wrapping her arms around me, warmly as tears fell from her eyes. “Just in case I don’t get another chance to say it again—I love you, always, no matter what happens.”

I was still a little confused at what those words honestly. My mother said it to me many times, and I had read it in books, so I vaguely understood the concept, but the feeling was something else. Did I feel it? I knew a large part of me cared deeply for her and that I would do anything to keep her safe, that if she died, it would be like suffering a thousand deaths. Is that what love felt like? I wondered. I took a moment to hold and kiss her, my mind still reeling at the thought of someone caring for me like that. I truly had come to love her in a way that I didn't know was still possible, and what's more, the monster that was my soul seemed to feel exactly the same way as I remembered the murderous rage the moment her life was in danger.

Seconds later, we were heading back to Millie's side to do what had to be done. She pulled the door open as I rushed out into the car park finding the slaver's fresh zombified corpse climbing to its feet. I moved quickly springing up behind it and sliding the knife up under the back of its skull, careful not to get the blade stuck in the bone before pulling it out in time to see the other slaver I had hit in the chest with my knife on his feet and running at me. I dodged to the side, throwing my leg out to catch its ankle causing the zombie to face plant on the gravel. The contact sent sharp pain up through my own leg, reminding me of my own injuries.

Millie walked over calmly to the zombie and kicked it over as it struggled to get back up. It had landed directly on my hunting knife which had then been forced deeper into its chest. The blade was now protruding from its back, severing its spine. I quickly moved forward, thrusting the slaver's knife through its eye socket, killing it instantly. And once we were sure we were clear, Millie searched the slaver's corpse finding the key to the handcuffs before rushing back inside to free Natalie.

We were all a mess, and it was time to leave, we gathered the supplies they left behind into the slaver's truck and drove away from the campgrounds back through Thornton. Passing the dispersed Zombie herd in the middle of the small town.

Once again, we crossed the same bridge and moved up the hill towards the wreckage. We stopped by the overturned truck, gathering Michael’s body into the back with all the supplies we could find. He was not going to turn any time soon with a gunshot to the face having almost certainly prevented any chance of it. Nevertheless, Natalie drove a blade into his brain through his left ear to make sure.

A few tears fell from her eyes as she did it, and Millie stood by my side with Ashe, explaining, "It's what we do for all of our dead. It's the only way to know for sure they will truly rest."

Natalie had found our backpacks and handed Millie a spare shirt from Ashe’s bag along with a clean towel to wrap around herself. I took my shirt back from the girl and put it back on, averting my gaze as she changed. Once Millie had dressed, she approached me and threw her arms around me. Her intentions were confusing to me as well, need sadness and longing all bound up together in her touch. She was very sweet, and she was family, which meant I would protect her as well. It took me a long moment as I wrapped her in my arms, holding her close. She now had a few more scars to go with the others she had already accumulated in her life. But she was strong, and she had a kind loving nature. I just hoped whoever she ended up with would appreciate that. Like Ashe, she was no slave in any sense of the word. That was clear as she slung her rifle over her shoulder once again, her hand touching my arm as she said, “Thank you, Jack!”

Ashe sat in the truck and smiled sadly, waiting for us to finish. “We’re okay,” she whispered as I climbed in beside her. Once the supplies were packed in the slaver's truck, we hit the road with Natalie taking us up into the foothills. It was late afternoon by that point, and the agony of multiple gunshot wounds was easily eclipsed as I watched the two younger women together. Ashe and Millie held and comforted each other, and I got the sense that they would soon become an inseparable team. Ashe was trying desperately not to cry out in agony as the truck bounced over potholes and the unevenness of the decaying dirt road. It was a rough ride, but we'd definitely been through far worse. Before long the outer walls of a large settlement came into view, along with several checkpoints leading up to the front gate of the well-established and fortified town, deep in the heart of zombie-occupied territory, not more than twenty kilometers from the coast.