BARREN_A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Page 2

She thrust with her spear again, but the man side-stepped her weapon and swung one of his knives downward. The blade slashed the top of Hado’s left hand, drawing a bead of blood across her knuckles. She cried out and dropped the spear.

  The man lunged forward then, even as Hado picked up the spear with her injured hand and thrust it toward him again. He stumbled to the left and fell to one knee. Hado used her right leg to sweep his, knocking the man down. As he stood up, Hado drove the tip of her spear into his chest and the man dropped both knives. Blood flew from his mouth. She twisted her weapon, the man spraying Hado’s mask with more blood. She let his body drop before pulling the spear from his chest.

  On her left, Sunji sat on top of one of Los Muertos. She pulled her dagger from his heart as she dismounted, wiping her bloody blade on the man’s vest.

  Hado looked around at the individual skirmishes. Some of Los Muertos continued to fight, and two Venganza warriors had retreated with blood flowing down their faces. Every recent report from their scouts had told Hado that Los Muertos was running out of fresh water and food, just like what was happening inside of Erehwon. Most of Los Muertos villages had been razed, and the few pockets of resistance had kept to the most unstable of the ruins. And yet, here they were, challenging Hado’s strongest and most deadly warriors.

  Hado ran into another fight, and Sunji followed. They killed three Los Muertos each on their own. And, notably, each man they encountered fought hard, with an energy and vitality that did not seem consistent with a broken tribe on the verge of extinction.

  When the fight finally ended, the forest floor had been littered with Los Muertos corpses. Several Venganza warriors had been killed as well, several more limping through the battlefield and back to Erehwon for medical treatment. Hado and Sunji stood in the clearing and listened to the water flowing south. Sunji lifted her mask and stuck the end of her spear into the soft leaves.

  “That’s all of them,” she said.

  Hado nodded, removed her mask, and kneeled next to a Los Muertos lying on his back. He appeared to be in his 40s, with black hair to his shoulders and a spotty, thin beard on his face.

  Hado bent down further. “Give me some light.”

  Sunji handed her a lit torch from one of the Venganza women who had come out to the battlefield to tend to the wounded. Hado put the flame near the dead man’s face, wrinkling her nose as several of his beard hairs caught fire and sizzled, assaulting the women with the reek of burning hair. Hado ran her hand over the man’s face, then used her thumb to roll down his bottom lip. She turned her head and scanned the man’s body as Sunji took a step forward, placing her hand on Hado’s shoulder.

  “Is everything all right?” Sunji asked.

  Hado stood, and grunted as she drove her spear into the dirt. Picking up her mask, she hung it on the end of the spear.

  “Find Shiva. Tell her I must speak with her. Now.”

  Chapter 4

  Hado was in her cabin cleaning Los Muertos blood from her skin and clothing when Sunji entered. Groans and cries still came from Erehwon as warriors tended to the dead and dying Venganza. While Hado had led a band outside the walls, several Los Muertos had gotten in. It was still too early to completely assess the damage.

  “Did you find her?” Hado didn’t turn around.

  “I have. She wants to see you, as well.”

  Hado tossed a bloody rag aside and grabbed her knife off a nearby table. She slipped it into its sheath and followed Sunji out of her cabin.

  The fog rolled off the stream as the first rays of the sun began to burn it off. Resulting mist sent a shiver down Hado’s neck, and the coppery odor of spilled blood mixed with the smoky haze of the morning campfires. She looked up to see Shiva standing before her, her arms folded and her eyes puffy. Hado doubted she had slept. None of them had.

  “I knew you’d still be standing today.”

  Hado didn’t respond. She walked past Shiva, brushing shoulders with the woman.

  “Where are you going?”

  Hado stopped and turned around. “I need to show you something.”

  “I think I can see all I need to. What happened,” said Shiva with a pause, “looks clear to me.”

  “Yeah, crystal.”

  Shiva turned her head sideways and furrowed her brow. “I don’t like your tone.”

  “You’ll like what I’ve discovered even less.”

  Shiva looked at Sunji, who then pointed at Hado.

  “Come,” said Hado.

  Shiva stepped forward to follow Hado, and Sunji walked behind her.

  Bodies lay scattered around Erehwon, thick, maroon puddles of blood beneath them. Some of the elderly women had spent the morning tending to the survivors while younger women had begun to bury the dead. They carried the bodies from inside the settlement to the gate near the south tower to bury them in the Venganza cemetery. Venganza warriors who had not been injured were dragging the bodies of dead Los Muertos to the edge of a growing bonfire. Those warriors walked hunched over, their eyes glassy and distant. Most of the women had already become thin to the point of emaciation, and the cold autumn winds hadn’t yet blown across the lake from the north.

  Hado walked to where she had left her spear. The tip remained in the soil, her mask hanging from the top of the spear to mark its location. She pointed at the body on the ground and turned to face Shiva.

  “Do you see this?”

  Shiva looked around. “Of course.”

  Hado waited as Shiva squatted, looking into the cold eyes of the dead man lying on the ground.

  “He’s dead,” Shiva said with a smirk.

  “No. His belt.”

  Sunji looked at Hado and then to Shiva, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.

  Shiva reached for a bottle underneath the man’s hip. She yanked it free from his belt and held it up; they all heard the sound of water sloshing around inside.

  “He has a canteen.”

  “Yes,” Hado said, gritting out the word from between her teeth. “He has more water in that than our healer has in her entire tent.”

  “What are you saying, child?” Shiva stood up and faced Hado. “Speak.”

  “They’re not so stupid as to drink toxic water. Los Muertos has a source.”

  “Or a cistern we haven’t found. The ruins are massive, and we—”

  “No.”

  Sunji stepped back upon hearing Hado interrupt Shiva, giving them more space.

  “We have the water whisperer. We know what’s potable for miles in every direction.”

  “Conditions change,” Shiva said. “Wells dry up. New streams crack the ground open where there was nothing prior.” Shiva put her hands on her hips. “Ask me what you want to ask me.”

  “They have water. And they’re attacking Erehwon. I want to know why.”

  “We kill their male infants and steal their girls,” Sunji said. “Or we did until recently.”

  Hado glared at her and then turned her attention back to Shiva. The head of the Council did not need to justify her suspension of the raids to Hado and Sunji. But when Shiva did not say more, Hado asked another question.

  “Why are they here?”

  “Because they want what we all want. Life.”

  Hado waited, knowing Shiva well enough to know that she had to turn the words over in her head before speaking.

  “And water is life. What’s left of it is spoiled. We explored the islands in the lake. Walked the ice despite our fears of the water. Sure, the woman had a dwelling on the island, but that is not enough to sustain all of Erehwon, and we can’t be stranded there by the ice for nine or ten months at a time. So, Los Muertos has found water. It has re-energized them and emboldened them to come at us again.”

  “No.”

  Shiva hissed, and Sunji took another step back.

  “What?” Shiva asked.

  “There is more. If Los Muertos wanted to eliminate us, they could wait and do so with numbers. But they don’t have numbers yet. We were abl
e to fight them off. That means they’re risking their lives to attack Erehwon. What is it that we have that they want?”

  The head of the Council turned around, looking toward their water whisperer.

  Dia stood near the base of the south tower—out of earshot, but watching the exchange between Hado and Shiva.

  “Her,” Shiva said, gesturing with only her eyes. “Water is a finite resource. A water whisperer is not.”

  “They have always wanted her. Why come for her now?”

  “I don’t have all the answers, Hado. Maybe they’re desperate? Maybe they are, in fact, out of clean water sources completely and are making a last-ditch effort?”

  Would they be coming for Dia? Something in Shiva’s voice made Hado pause.

  Sunji took two steps forward and stood next to Hado, putting a hand on her arm. Hado looked into Sunji’s eyes before turning back to Shiva.

  “Yes. That is probably what Los Muertos is doing.”

  “Good. I’m glad that mystery is solved. Please get the bonfire going. I don’t want to look at the filthy Los Muertos any longer than I must. The Council is expecting an update from me later this morning. I can tell them that you are taking care of Erehwon?”

  “Yes, Shiva.”

  The head of the Council nodded, first at Hado and then at Sunji, before walking toward the middle of the settlement. Hado looked at Dia, who had not moved during the entire conversation.

  “It doesn’t feel right.”

  Sunji took Hado by the chin and gently turned the woman’s face to her own. “Let it go. She is head of the Council.”

  Hado playfully swatted Sunji’s hand away and smiled. “Okay. You’re right. We have work to do this morning.”

  “Let’s get the fire going then.”

  “But tonight…” Hado said. “How would you like to join me on an excursion to the ruins?”

  Chapter 5

  The crescent moon cast a pale light on the land, shadows running dark and strong beneath the trees. The skeletal remains of the city towered over the lakeshore while an occasional groan of concrete and steel reverberated throughout the ruins.

  Hado and Sunji knew the trails, both dirt and asphalt. They could navigate back to Erehwon even without torches. Sunji had led, and Hado kept looking back to make sure they were not being followed by Los Muertos—or any other Venganza. Hado huffed, and Sunji stopped. Hado dug a thin strip of deer jerky from her pack and tore it in half, handing a piece to Sunji.

  “Thanks.” Sunji accepted the food, removed her mask, and ripped a hunk of jerky off with her front teeth.

  Hado removed her own mask and rested it on her knee. The dry, salty venison made her wince, but she gagged and then swallowed, trying to get some protein into her system. The meat had to be salted, and yet that drove their thirst. It was an inevitable and yet frustrating cycle without crops and a fresh water source.

  “What are we looking for?” Sunji asked, her voice low and her eyes scanning the surroundings.

  Hado chewed while she spoke. “I don’t know. But I’ll know when I find it.”

  Sunji laughed and shook her head. “You think Shiva is hiding something. I do, too. But we have to be smart about this. The Council is powerful, and she controls it. Shiva called off the raids, and this could be seen as one.”

  She grunted in protest, but also in agreement with Sunji’s assessment.

  “Los Muertos who attacked our camp last night—they had canteens full of water, yes. But they also looked like they had nourishment. The only way that could be the case is if they had enough water to grow crops or keep livestock. How is that possible?”

  “That’s what I hope to find out, Sunji.” She ate the last of her jerky, then grabbed her friend’s shoulder. “Come.”

  The Venganza warriors put their masks on, grabbed their spears, and continued to walk deeper into the ruins. They passed several camps that used to be home to a clan of Los Muertos. Since the siege of the island and their defeat of Jorge’s men, the loose federation of former motorcycle gang members had lost much of their power. The raids had systematically weakened their resolve and thinned their numbers almost to the point of extinction. But now, it seemed as though they had found new resolve—and a fresh water source.

  Hado took the lead, stepping over a rusted guardrail that bordered what had once been a parking lot. Junk trees had sprouted in the cracked asphalt and a single booth stood at the entrance, its windows long since shattered and with vines wrapping around the rectangular box, strangling it. Sunji followed Hado across the hardened surface until they could hide behind a dumpster blocking an alley between two brick buildings.

  She paused, listening to the wind whistling through the urban decay. Nothing. And then voices.

  Los Muertos.

  She froze momentarily and then turned to Sunji, placing her pointer finger over her closed lips. Hado held up her hand, palm out. Sunji stopped, her back against the brick wall.

  Hado crouched, and soon she moved forward, stepping over plastic bags and past the charred husks of cars that still reeked of burnt plastic. Her eyes remained on her feet, as she was careful not to step on anything that would alert them of her position.

  She came out of the alley at the other end. The asphalt path led to a wooded area, and Hado couldn’t tell if this had been a park in the distant past or whether the natural growth had reclaimed its territory. She ran up a slight hill and saw light shining ahead. A campfire shown through an opening in the trees. She moved even closer, stopping and hiding behind a thin, spindly oak tree.

  Two Los Muertos men squatted around the campfire, and at least another three stood at the edge of the small stream trickling through the area. One of the men was kneeling in front of it and drinking water out of a cup.

  Hado’s eyes widened.

  Fresh water? How do they know it isn’t toxic?

  Hado ran back to where she had left Sunji. The woman’s eyes lit up upon seeing her, and she took three steps toward Hado to meet her.

  “What did you see? Is it Los Muertos?”

  Hado nodded. “Looks like there’s no more than half-a-dozen.”

  “We should head back.”

  “They’ve found fresh water, Sunji.”

  Sunji crossed her arms. “What? Is that possible?”

  “I don’t know. But I saw one of the men drinking the water. I don’t know if he brought it with him or filled it from the stream. There’s only one way to find out how they know it’s safe.”

  Sunji grabbed her spear, looking across the barren ruins. “I trust you, Hado.”

  Hado lifted her mask. She smiled as she put her hand on Sunji’s shoulder. “I know, my love.”

  Hado leaned in and kissed Sunji, and then the two women shared a smile.

  “I’d die for you.”

  “And me for you.” Sunji put her mask back on her face.

  Hado slid hers into place before leading Sunji to where Los Muertos had gathered around a fire.

  Los Muertos men now circled the campfire. Hado spotted their weapons leaning against a low brick wall, but none of the men had them in their hands. If Hado and Sunji moved fast enough, they might be able to take out the men before they could grab their weapons.

  Hado looked back at Sunji. Sunji nodded.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Hado lifted her spear and charged into Los Muertos camp.

  The men turned and faced her, but none made an immediate move to their weapons, the surprise of the warriors’ appearance being so sudden that it paralyzed them. Hado drove her spear into the nearest Los Muertos, a short-haired man in his twenties with a peach fuzz goatee. She pulled the spear from his gut and quickly turned to face the next man.

  To her right, Sunji had killed two of Los Muertos and was locked into a wrestling match with another. Hado had just moved toward them when another man blocked her path. He stood tall, his face lit by the fire. The man appeared to be well-fed, strong, and angry.

  She stabbed at him, but the man sidesteppe
d her blow and grabbed the shaft of her spear. He tried to yank it from Hado’s hands, but she held on. He came at her with a roundhouse punch, and Hado ducked. She drove her knee up into his stomach. He doubled over, giving her enough time to draw the knife out from the sheath on her hip. She drove the blade into his neck before he could react.

  Sunji ran to Hado’s side, and they turned to face the last man standing. He took a step back, his lips trembling and his hands out.

  “We had a deal, bitch.”

  Hado slid her mask up and looked at the man, noting how his eyes were darting from Sunji’s mask to Hado’s hard eyes. “What?”

  “I ain’t gonna let you stick me on a pole.”

  Sunji realized what he intended before Hado did. She ran past Hado and lunged at the man, but it was too late. The last Los Muertos in the group had already drawn a knife across his own throat, leaving the blood running down his neck in crimson waves. He fell first to his knees and then dropped face-first to the pavement as he bled out.

  Hado looked at Sunji and then at the man dying at their feet. She reached down and yanked his head up by his hair, but he looked back with the long stare of death.

  “What deal? What was he talking about?”

  Sunji shook her head as they heard more voices coming from a block or so to the east.

  “More Los Muertos,” Sunji said.

  Hado listened, and realized it sounded like two or three times the number of men they had just fought. A staccato laugh pierced the air, and Hado understood that they would soon discover the ambush and immediately strike out for vengeance. And although they were two of Venganza’s fiercest warriors, they were nonetheless only two.

  “Let’s go,” Hado said. “I don’t want to die here.”

  The warriors grabbed their spears and fled through the ruins toward Erehwon.

  Chapter 6

  The two Venganza warriors had been running for nearly half an hour when Hado stopped. They’d come to an open field in the middle of the trees, where tall grasses swayed in the pre-dawn breeze. Hado listened for a moment, but heard nothing—no shouts or evidence that Los Muertos suspected them or had found their trail.