The Withered Series (Book 1): Wither (18 page)

Please
don’t be Cable!

More
shouts rise in the distance.  I raise my head and listen,
realizing that the rapid gunfire has lessened.  Have we been
overrun? Have they called a ceasefire to hunt for me? It was all over
far too soon to have been the military, but who else could have
attacked?  Maybe survivors from a nearby town looking for
supplies?

I
hear the snapping of bone above and hold my breath. There is a long,
pained groan and then silence.  The victor stumbles back and the
wooden trap door creaks underfoot.  The person halts.  The
thrumming of my pulse against my neck intensifies as seconds pass.
 Then I hear it. The sweeping of a shoe against the ground.
 Someone above me searches for the edge of the door.

As
the creaking of the wood comes again I dart from my hiding place,
rising to my full height, arms stretched out before me as I head
toward where I think the far wall is. My fingers clash with rubber
tipped handles, the metallic clanking of tools sounds loud and echoey
in the small space.  I know the person above heard.

I
grab wildly at a handle and yank but it doesn’t budge. Raising
my foot, I press back against the wall, tugging with all my might.
 
Release,
dammit!

The
wall emits a loud wooden groan a second before the tool releases and
I’m thrown to the ground.

“Hey!”
I freeze at the shout overhead.  “There’s someone
down here!”

I
press back into my hole just as the trap door is yanked open.
 Unnatural light spills into the hole. I cover my eyes until I
adjust to the sudden brilliance. Heavy steps descend into the dark.
The earth crumbles against my shoulder as I flatten against the wall.

“Hello?”

I
hold my breath, clinging to the tool with sweat slick hands.  The
dual handles feel heavy in my grip.  I run my finger along the
wooden handle and down the long length of the metal head and realize
I grabbed a pair of pruning shears.  The metal feels gritty,
worn.  Most likely so rusty I won't even be able to open them.
I
have the shittiest luck ever,
I silently bemoan.

The
man reaches the final step and pauses.  I watch from beneath the
stairs as he ducks down and surveys the room. He raises his hand to
try to peer around the light spilling over his back.  “I
know you’re down here.  I’m not going to hurt you.”

I
reaffirm my grip.  Beads of sweat drip from my brow and land on
my nose.  Despite the cold, heat flashes through my body,
setting me on edge.  

“It’s
safe to come out,” the man calls again.

I
raise my sheers and poise the curved metal end through the stairs,
aiming for his upper thigh.  Soon he will move and I’ll
lose my chance.

I
allow myself a brief inhale and hold it, wishing that time could slow
so I would have more time to think, to plan, but it doesn’t. It
speeds up. The muscles in my arm constrict and I draw back my arm to
strike.  

A
shout from overhead startles me.  The shears slam against the
wooden step as I recoil.  A shadow hurtles down from above.
 “Get away from her!”  

I
crawl out of my hiding place at the sound of his voice.  When I
rise, I find Cable on top of the man, pummeling him with his fists.
 I feel paralyzed as I watch the muscles in his back constrict
with each swing. The scream of pain snaps me out of it.  “Cable!”

His
arm pauses, cocked back as he turns to look at me.  His face is
flushed and glistens with sweat.  His hand is bloodied, his face
covered in scratches and dirt.  His hair is matted with blood
but I can’t tell if it’s his own.  “You...ok?”
he grunts.

The
man beneath him groans.  His leg shifts, bending at the knee
before it falls still against the ground.

“I’m
fine.”  I look down at the man’s torso.  Though
it rises and falls with breath, I can tell he’s badly wounded.
 “I could have taken him.”

Cable
wipes at his face, managing to smear the blood rather than clean it
away. “I know.  The thing is, I didn’t want you to
need to.”

“Still
trying to save the world, huh?”  The erratic beating in my
chest slowly abates as he stares at me.  I feel an odd flush
rises along my neck under his intense gaze.  It feels intimate.

He
nods and a small twitch tugs at the corner of his lips. “Yes,
Ma'am.  One pretty gal at a time.”

A
tell-tale blush betrays the impact his statement has on me before I
turn away, dipping low to retrieve my shears. Cable looks down at my
weapon.  “Haven’t seen that one used before.”

I
shrug.  “I improvised.”

“That’s
good.”  Cable grunts as the man beneath him begins to
stir.  “Why don’t you go on up?  There’s
someone waiting to speak to you.”

I
look toward the light as hope flares in my chest.  
Eva!

I
set my shears down, propping them against the wall and rush for the
stairs.  I’m nearly topside when I hear a grunt of pain
and turn to see Cable crashing to the ground.  The man kicks out
at him as soon as he falls.

“No!”

“Stay
there,” Cable grunts as the man throws himself on top.  

The
two men roll side over side, their legs entangled as they disappear
into shadow.  I peer into the dark, ducked low, desperate to
see.  “I can help.”

“No.”
 Cable’s voice sounds strangled.  My legs go weak at
his howl of pain.  Standing there, knowing that he is in
trouble, that I could help, is maddening, but there is little room
down there. If I were to go back down I might take away any advantage
Cable may have of getting the upper hand, so I obey.

Another
cry of pain brings them back into view.  Two pair of feet kick
out.  A low punch strikes at someone’s kidneys.   

“No!”
My heart stops in my chest at the plea.  A piercing cry cuts off
and silence falls over the space.  One set of legs collapse to
the side.  Only the sound of heavy  panting can be heard.

“Cable?”
 My call is too soft to be heard so I try again.  I watch
the survivor roll away, knees bent, chest heaving with exertion.  I
close my eyes at the sound of vomiting.  The scent wafts toward
me, turning my stomach.

“Cable?
 Dammit, speak to me!” I grip the edge of the trapdoor as
my mind flies through escape scenarios.  If the other guy won
I’m in a world of hurt!

“I’m
here,” comes a hoarse response.  

My
shoes clatter against the wooden steps as I rush down and find him
curled onto his side and pull him toward me.  My grip falters on
his arm as my hands become slick with blood.  “You’re
hurt.”

“Not...mine,”
he rasps, clutching his ribs.  I spy his glock lying on the
ground beside him.

“I
don't remember hearing a gunshot.”

He
coughs and rolls, grimacing. “Out of ammo.  Took out a few
of the raiders outside.”

“And
my pistol?”

“Gone.
 I used everything.”

Cold
dread washes over me as I look to the light above.  I don’t
blame Cable for using what little ammo we still had to protect us.
 It was the right call.  I’m just worried about what
happens once we hit the road without any bullets.

As
I lower my gaze, I notice the dark pool growing beside him.  I
tug Cable away, disturbed by the idea of it touching him.  He
grunts in pain as I fight to prop him against the wall.

I
turn to look at the other guy.  Now that my shadow no longer
conceals him, I spy the set of shears plunged deep into the man’s
chest. “Oh, God!”

Cable
grips my arm, keeping me from moving forward.  “Don’t.”

“He
could still be alive.”

“Avery…”

The
waiver in his voice breaks through my growing need to see, to check
that we are safe.  I hear his grief and stop resisting.  Cable
killed a man in cold blood.  I can't begin to imagine what must
be going on inside his head.  

“He’s
not wearing a uniform,” I whisper, staring at the pair of white
tennis shoes lying in the light.  I turn to look at Cable. “He’s
not military.”

Cable
shakes his head.  “It wasn’t them.”

My
voice catches in my throat. I yank out of his grasp and dive toward
Cable’s attacker.  His face is buried in shadow but when I
reach his side I see his dark skin and the gold nugget ring on his
finger.

I
close my eyes and collapse back onto the floor.  My breathing
catches as I recognize the ring.  “You killed Devon.”

Cable
coughs, his feet digging into the ground as he fights to stand.  I
turn away from Devon and throw my arm around Cable’s waist to
help him rise.  “Couldn’t see,” he rasps.  

“Shh,”
I whisper, easing him toward the steps. His limp is pronounced,
making it hard for me to help from my shorter height.  He is
much heavier than he looks.  “It was an accident.”

His
grip on my shoulder tenses and I pause.  “I thought he was
trying to attack you.”

I
don’t tell him that Devon tried to coax me out, claiming that I
would be safe if I did so.  I also don’t tell him how
close I came to taking Devon out myself. “It was dark.  There
was no way you could have known.”

Cable
hisses as I squeeze his side to help him up the steps.  “I
should have known.  Should have stopped.  I just sort of
lost it…”

“No.”
 I grunt as we take each step at a time.  He is hurting.
 His steps move with exaggerated caution.  “It was my
fault. I should have recognized his voice.  Should have come out
sooner.”

He
pauses, forcing me to halt.  I look up to find him glaring down
at me.  “You are not to blame.  It was my job to
protect you, not the other way around.”

I
ease Cable down onto a stack of wooden crates.  They were filled
with sand and carrots when we first arrived, making me think that the
old folks who used to live here probably had intentions of turning
that trap door space into a food cellar.  Maybe that’s why
there were so many empty wooden shelves down there.

“I
told you earlier that I’m not your job.”  I step
back and cross my arms over my chest, watching as he clutches his
stomach.  Blood seeps from his nose.  His eye has already
begun to swell.  His lip is split.  Who knows what other
injuries lie beneath his shirt.  “You don’t have to
always come to my rescue.”

A
slow breath whistles between his teeth before he responds.  “Maybe
I want to.”

I
start to speak, to tell him that I’m just fine on my own, but I
hesitate.  If Cable hadn’t come to my rescue it would have
been me with blood on my hands, with remorse that could never be
removed. I would be tainted.  A killer.  Devon was
innocent. I may not have liked the guy but down in that dark room, I
would have done whatever it took to survive.  If Cable hadn’t
come for me, I would be the murderer.

I
look toward the barn door and realize the light flooding in comes
from the remains of four large vehicles. I raise my hand to shield
myself from the firelight and spy bodies prostrate on the ground.
 Smoke filters past the door.  An orange glow flickers off
to the left as well.

“You
set the house on fire?”

Cable
slowly nods.  “It was a distraction.”

“That’s
why you were so anxious to gather the supplies.”

He
nods again, wincing as he coughs.  I sigh and sink down beside
him.  “I forgive you for knocking me out.”

“Really?”
His eyebrows arch in surprise.  “Figured you’d hold
onto that grudge for quite some time.”

“Don’t
you think for a second that I didn’t consider doing just that.”
 I grin and place my hand on his knee.  “I know you
did all of this for me.”

His
gaze falters and he looks away.  “You’re the only
person I’ve got left.”

“Well,”
I smile and pat his leg.  “I guess that makes us family.”

Even
as I say
family
I
recognize that the word doesn’t fit.  Not for us. Not now.
 I have begun to care for Cable and that scares me.  In
more ways than I care to think about.

I
walk in silence, listening to the fire spit and crackle behind us.
The woods are illuminated by the flames, both directly behind us and
further into the distance.  I remain by Cable’s side, his
arm around my shoulder, allowing me to assist him.

The
pack on my back is heavy, filled with hammers, chisels, a small ax
and a pretty wicked looking mallet, but it is not nearly as heavy as
my heart.  Eva was not with Alex’s group when I emerged
with Cable from the barn.

I
spotted Alex first.  He worked with Sal to toss unfamiliar
bodies into the flames.  The two story farm house was ablaze,
sending a plume of smoke into the night air that would easily be seen
for miles around.  Victoria puttered about, randomly kicking at
the deceased. I’m not exactly sure what her point in doing that
was, but the old bat wasn’t exactly all there the last time I
saw her. She seems worse off now.

When
Alex looked up and saw me under Cable’s arm, a sad smile lit
his face, but it quickly vanished when I told him Devon had fallen.
 I didn’t say how or why.  Cable noticed but didn’t
say anything.  

It
didn’t take long for the barn to catch fire.  In the
flickering flames I could see some of the Withered Ones in their
moaning march across the fields.  I knew they wouldn’t
make it with the flames setting bits of hay in the yard alight, but
there was no point in trying to stop them.  They would probably
continue marching until the flames finally consumed them.  A
part of me felt that was a better fate than their endless, mindless
walk.

Now,
Alex leads the way through the dark woods.  He has two packs on
his back. As does Sal.  Victoria refused to take more than one,
garnering her another livid glare from me.  When I first met her
this might have bothered her, but now...she seems different.  Like
the last cog on her gears finally popped off.