Dusk of Defiance (The Era of Ensemble Book 1) (14 page)

Luke
hurried through a gap in the luxurious curtains, past the red carpet and out of the theatre. He could hear the savage beasts fighting to get to the front of the pack. He glanced around.
Where do I go?
He remembered the football pitch, and ran towards it. The demonic creatures barked not far behind him. He reached the football field, the grass was wet from the sprinklers and Luke nearly slipped. He turned around to check on his pursuers. There were dozens of them, more than he remembered seeing inside the theatre. They were more frenzied than he had ever seen previously. They fought amongst each other, the one that caught Luke would be given eternal glory by the lunatic inside the theatre.

The abominations skidded, slipped and fell on the grass. Luke felt shooting pains through his head. His vision blurred and his movement slowed. He fell
over a bag and stumbled to the ground. He lifted himself up slowly, still dazed. Water, tubes of food and magazines were scattered around him. He kicked the bag.
How did that get here?
The marauding savages weren’t far away from him now. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

“
Hey you!” Someone yelled from above. Luke glanced up and saw a man and a child high up in the commentary box above the football pitch. “Quick, climb up this.” The man shouted as he pushed down a spring loaded ladder. Luke scampered up it as fast as he could. He could feel the vibrations through the metal ladder of the beasts running into it. They were trying to make him fall, but he clung on. He reached the top of the ladder and the man helped pull him up. “Bring the ladder up.” The man said quickly.

“
I can’t.” Luke replied as he tried to pull it up. He looked down the ladder. There were abominations jumping over each other and hanging onto the ladder. A few began to climb it, and then more and more began to join them. “They’re climbing the ladder.”

“
Dad, stop them.” The boy crouched and hid himself beneath a desk in the corner of the commentary box.

The man grabbed the ladder and tried to bring it up.
“It’s too heavy.” He puffed out exhausted.

“
Cover your ears.” Luke said as he grabbed his revolver. He aimed at the highest savage. Its eyes were bloodthirsty. He fired. The bullet pierced the head of the monstrous being and it flung back off the ladder, taking two others with it as it fell, and then it thudded to the grass. He fired again and again, striking any demonic creature which laid a hand on the ladder. “Pull it up now.” Luke ordered. The ladder began to reel up.

“
That was a close one.” The man said as he slid the ladder into a latch.

“Is it safe?” The boy asked timidly as he moved out from under the commentary desk.

“
Don’t worry son. We’re alright now. It’s safe.” The man ruffled his son’s hair.

“
Thank you, for saving me.” Luke interrupted the pair.

“
Juan spotted you before, but we didn’t know what you were. You could have been one of them, one of us...” He looked Luke up and down. Weighing him up. “Or just plain mad like too many people these days. You can understand why we didn’t show ourselves back then, can’t you?” The man rubbed the thick beard on his face.

“
Why did you help me just now if you didn’t know what I was?” Luke inquired.

“
Well those things were chasing you. You had to be one of us.”

“
One of us?”

“
Sane. Not many people seem to be sane aboard this ship. I don’t know what happened, but with God as my witness, me and my son are going to get through this alive.” He glanced over to his son and smiled, then turned back. “What’s your name anyway?”

“
Luke Mason.”

“
I’m Ramiro Alvarez, and this is my son Juan.” Ramiro walked past Luke and glanced down the ladder. “We can grab those supplies tomorrow.” He turned to Luke. “How long have you been roaming for?”

“
Roaming?”

“
We haven’t seen anyone go through here in a long time, a couple weeks maybe.” He glanced to his son for confirmation. “I’m guessing it’s down to three scenarios. Everyone’s hunkered down and waiting for it to blow over, they’ve been caught by those things and died, or they’ve turned.”

“
I don’t want to turn. Dad, don’t let me turn.” Juan began to get hysterical.

“
Don’t worry, I won’t.” He turned to Luke. “His older brother, Santiago, my eldest, he... turned.” Ramiro’s eyes welled up. “It was a day or two after the outbreak. We were on our way to my wife’s cryogenic room. She was in deep sleep and we were going to get her out, but on the way Santiago fainted. We found an abandoned apartment where we let him rest. He complained of headaches and hallucinations over the next couple days. The ship was in a state of chaos. There were no rules, no order. I couldn't find anyone who would help me. I went out to look for some medical supplies, just something to help him cope with the pain. When I returned to the apartment Juan had locked Santiago in the bedroom. Floods of tears ran down Juan’s face, as he held his back against the bedroom door, bangs smashing against it from the other side...” Ramiro wiped the emerging tears from his eyes. “...I went in to see for myself. He’d turned, Luke. I should have killed it, but I couldn’t. I just left it locked in that room.” He averted eye contact, ashamed of his actions.

“
When I woke up from deep sleep I searched for my girlfriend. I didn’t know what was going on, the emergency lights were on, the trams weren’t working, there were strange noises coming from everywhere. I ran to my apartment. I found a note from her. A suicide note. I entered the bedroom to find her lying on the bed with a bullet hole through her brain.” Luke reached for the note in his pocket. He considered bringing it out, but he didn’t.
I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, Elizabeth.

“
Did you say you woke from deep sleep?” Ramiro inquired curiously.

“
Yes, about three days ago.”

“
When myself and Juan reached my wife’s cryogenic chamber it was smashed open with blood splattered everywhere. We looked around and every cryogenic chamber was the same. You’re lucky to still be alive.”

I don’t feel lucky.
“Now that you mention it, when I woke I think most of the cryogenic chambers were smashed.” Luke tried to picture the cryogenic room in his head, but he couldn’t remember.

“
So are we the first people you’ve seen since you woke up?” Juan asked curiously, his brown eyes large and innocent. Things were dire but he was oblivious to the enormity of the situation.

“
No, I’ve seen a few and I found a resistance group. I didn’t get a chance to count how many people were there, but I’d guess over fifty. I found my sister there.”

“
It’s good to know there are still people out there.” Ramiro raised an eyebrow. “If you found your sister why are you back out here? Why didn’t you stay with the resistance group?”

“
To cut a long story short, I was kicked out.” Luke sighed remembering what had happened.

“
What did you do?”

“
Something was attacking my sister, so I killed it. Evidently nobody had seen it turn, so the leaders thought it would be better to exile me rather than let people know how quickly the turning process can take. That’s more or less the story in a nutshell.”

“
So where were you going?” Ramiro inquired.

“
I was heading to the tram station at the other side of the Entertainment section. The trams in Housing D are offline. After that I’m going to the Captains quarters.”

“
Why the Captains quarters?”

“
I have no idea.” Luke could see the confusion in Ramiro’s eyes. “I met a man. He gave me supplies and helped me find my sister. He wants me to check out the Captains quarters. I promised him I would.”

“
I don’t envy your journey, but it seems we all have similar tales aboard this ship.” Ramiro turned around and rummaged through some bags of supplies. “We’ve been scavenging most days. Those things out there tend to stay away from the lights. We just came across this place by chance, running away from those cannibalistic creatures.” He retrieved a thin, dark green blanket from one of the bags and handed it to Luke. “You better stay and sleep. You’re not going to be leaving anytime soon.” He turned to the bags again and seemed to be lost in thought, before he eventually spoke again. “I’ve been saving it, but hey it’s as good a time as any.” He retrieved a bottle of liquor from his supplies, opened it, took a swig, and then passed it over.

“
Thanks. I guess you’re right.” Luke took a large gulp and passed the bottle back.

“
I found some champagne too, but it wouldn’t feel right drinking it, you know?” Ramiro found the bottle of champagne and handed it to Luke. “I mean what is there to celebrate?”

He’s right, living each day in fear. Afraid of what’s happening aboard the ship. Afraid of what I might be turning into.
“We celebrate a new friendship, for saving my life.”

“
I’ll drink to that. Pop the cork.”

The cork popped with a bang and foam seeped out from the bottle. Luke placed his mouth over the neck, drank what he could, and then coughed. He passed the bottle to Ramiro after taking another gulp.

“Can I have some?” Juan asked curiously.

Ramiro glanced at Luke before handing the bottle over to his son.
“Just taste it. See if you like it before taking a mouthful.” He watched his son as he pulled the bottle up to his lips.

“
That’s disgusting.” Juan said as he tried to spit the taste out of his mouth.

“
That’s because you haven’t got rich tastes.” Ramiro laughed. “Here, Luke.” He handed the bottle back to Luke.

Luke nodded in thanks
, and then took a couple of mouthfuls of the champagne.

“
I think it’s time you went to sleep, Juan.” Ramiro glanced to the bed sheets under the commentary desk.

“
But I’m not tired.” Juan protested, but he began to move towards the sheets while averting his eyes away from his father’s gaze.

“
How old is he?” Luke questioned.

“
He’s not far off eleven. It’s hard to track the exact date, you know?” A tear grew in the corner of Ramiro’s eye. “His birthday could have already gone. It could be today, or tomorrow.”

“
I could find out?” Luke lifted up his sleeve to show him his wrist device.

“
Whisper it to me. I don’t want my son to know it’s passed.” Ramiro said in a hushed tone.

“
It’s the twenty first tomorrow.” Luke noticed the look upon Ramiro’s face.

“
His birthday was today.” He covered his mouth with his hand. “I didn’t get him anything.” Tears began to fill his eyes. He scurried over to his son and whispered into his ear. Luke couldn’t hear what Ramiro had told his son, but the father and son hugged for a lengthy time, before they both entered their own blankets.

Luke lifted the blanket Ramiro had given him and laid it out on the floor. He was warm enough, the floor on the other hand wasn’t. He lay down on top of it and
leaned his head against his hand. He lifted his bag, pulled out another blanket to place over himself, and then continued to rummage through the bag until he found the rounds for his revolver. He reloaded his weapon, preparing himself for the journey after his sleep. He closed his bag and placed it beside his head. He turned slightly onto his side and felt paper crunch in his pocket. He retrieved it and read Elizabeth’s note again.

‘
Luke, things have changed while you’ve been in deep sleep. I don’t really know how to explain them in a letter, it’s too complicated. Please just know that I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you. I’m so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to ever know. I’m just so sorry, Luke. I’ll understand if you can never forgive me for this, but please try. I’m just so sorry, Luke. I love you, and I always will.’

Luke sighed, returned the paper to his pocket and closed his eyes.
I still don’t understand why?

The m
orning sun shone in through the window. Luke cracked an egg into a frying pan and listened to it sizzling as it cooked. He glanced out of the window. The green rolling hills flourished with wildlife, insects, amphibians and mammals. Whatever direction he looked in, he saw life. He stopped to admire the view for what he thought was a brief moment, but the smell of smoke turned him away from the window towards the frying pan. The egg had shrivelled up into something nearly non-existent. Luke didn’t realise how long he had been staring out of the window. He took the frying pan to the bin and emptied the remains into it. He turned off the heat, placed the pan in the sink and picked up the tray that held the rest of the food.
Shame about the egg, but she’ll love this.

Luke walked up the old wooden st
aircase. They creaked every time he placed his foot on a tread.
I’m going to wake her anyway.
He didn’t try to avoid the squeaks and creaks of the staircase. He reached the hallway and began to walk through. There were paintings of scenic views from a lush forest to a mountain range. There were also pictures of an old couple, of whole families, and a couple of Luke and Megan as children. He stopped at one photograph in particular. It was him in his childhood. He held his grandfather’s revolver, Megan looking up at him, half his size. There was a five year age gap between him and his sister. He’d always felt like he had to look out for her and protect her.

He entered a bedroom.
It had patterned wallpaper with matching curtains and thick flower sprigged bedding. There was an outline of a person in the bed. He walked around the bed and whispered. “Elizabeth, I’ve brought you some breakfast.” There was no reply. He placed the tray of food onto the foot of the bed and sat down next to it. “I told you you’d love it here. It’s so peaceful out of the metropolis. We can go out later, I’ll show you what I used to do on my grandparents’ farm.” There was still no response. “Elizabeth, are you awake?” He asked fearfully, as he shook his girlfriend lightly. He stood up and stepped closer to her. He lifted the bed sheets and threw them over. “Oh God.” He turned away and covered his mouth as he felt vomit rise. Elizabeth lay in the blood soaked bed with a bullet hole between her eyes. “Why?” He sobbed and grabbed Elizabeth’s cold dead hand.

“
You did this, Luke.” Megan’s voice echoed throughout the room and she appeared at the opposite side of the bed.

“
I would never harm her. I loved her.” Luke protested with tears flooding down his face.

“
You killed her, Luke. You couldn’t take what she’d done.” Her voice was cold and cruel.

“
I didn’t kill her, I couldn’t.” He paused in confusion. “What do you mean I couldn’t take what she’d done?”

“
Don’t lie to me, Luke. You’re a smart man, you figured out what she was up to, and you couldn’t take it. You killed her for what she had done. Don’t tell me you regret it now?”

“
I haven’t done anything.” Luke dropped Elizabeth’s hand and ran out of the room. He glanced at the pictures. They had changed. They once showed happy memories, but now they were filled with horror and dread. One displayed the woman with the chains around her neck. Another showed a group of savages feasting on the body of a man. Luke ran down the stairs and out of the house. Megan stood waiting for him at the entrance of the verandah.

“
Why did you leave me, Luke?” Blood dripped out of her eyes like tears. “They fed me to the cannibals, to keep them at bay. If you stayed I wouldn’t have died. It’s your fault, Luke. This is all your fault.”

“
I haven’t… I don’t…” Luke stuttered as he tried to make sense of what he was being told. He couldn’t accept it and barged past his sister. He ran along the dirt road. A thousand voices flew around in his head like bees in a hive.
I need to get out of here.

“
Why did you kill me?” Elizabeth appeared in front of him.

“
I didn’t.” He protested, but he couldn’t convince himself.

“
Why do you resist?” She asked as she placed her ice cold hand on his shoulder.

“
I don’t know.” He answered.

“
Come with us, Luke.” Elizabeth’s mouth opened, but it was Megan’s voice. She offered out her other hand. “Take my hand and set us free.”

Luke raised his hand and moved it slowly towards Elizabeth’s hand. He felt the cold as he approached it, but before he could make contact he heard a voice.

“Luke?” A man said.

He glanced around. He couldn’t see anyone other than
Elizabeth.

“
Is he okay, Dad?”

Luke recognised that voice. It was
the kid, Juan. He felt the world twist and twirl around him.

“
Luke, wake up.” Ramiro said as he pushed and tugged on Luke’s sleeping body.

“
Take my hand, Luke, and this will all end!” Elizabeth screamed, foam appeared at her mouth. She bared her blood stained teeth, and then snarled.

“
No.” Luke said defiantly, and opened his eyes.