Accidental Alliance

Closed for DeliciousMaiden & DanFS

John Walker, Aged 34, Soldier, before the Apocalypse hit.

John walked up to the edge of the Town.
Since the Apocalpyse, when a rogue biological weapon was somehow released into the general populace, and quickly proceeded to decimate the population, society had quickly descended into chaos, and the law of the land was gone.

The law now, was as it had been in the tales of the Old West - for those who survived - whoever had the power, and the might to enforce it, could also command the resources to survive, and then the luxuries to make life pleasurable.

This town, looked like many others he’d passed through. Buildings in various states of disrepair, if they hadn’t been pocked-marked with bullet holes, or showing other signs of violent struggle as humanity crumbled.

He kept carefully to the shadows, scanning the closest buildings for signs of life, friendly or otherwise.
He then pulled his jacket collar up around him as the wind whipped up a stream of detritus which swept down the deserted street.

He could see a couple of bodies, lying partially hidden in the doorway to a Supermarket, having long been picked clean by scavengers, both human and animal; the ragged clothing torn free, and the pale bones showing beneath, making him shudder.

He remembered the sickness, and seeing his friends, his comrades in arms, lying around him, the warnings coming too late to save them.
By the time they had realised they were suffering from the effects of a biological attack, their protective suits were useless, as the fever and vomiting, dehydration and hallucinations claimed them one-by-one, until only he was left, having been singled out by nature to survive this terrible event, only to lurch into an even worse one, when he eventually stumbled out into the sunlit quadrangle on the Army Base, to find other soldiers, lying in the open, having died where they fell.

Kat’s body froze, her breath held. How many times had she gone through this cycle of fear, adrenalin rush and then relief followed by frustration with herself at just how jumpy she’d become? And again, as she forced herself away from her vantage point and back down the rickety ladder into what had served as a makeshift shelter for the past week, she wondered if she’d ever finally find anywhere safe enough to stop and stay.

It felt as if she’d been on the move for years, but in truth it had been mere months … Before that there had been 5 of them. And for a long time they had managed stayed under the radar of others and had carved out a life with which, looking back now, Kat realised they had been content.
But that changed. Suddenly. Horrifically.
And now she was on her own. Had been for a long time. Before Ryan...

But they were only travelling together. Companions, but no attachment...
Kat couldn’t risk that. Loss was something she couldn’t deal with … again …
And Ryan’s approach had reassured her that he wanted the same. He had appealed to her logic, been very matter-of-fact; he had reasoned that 2 people travelling together had to be better than 1 in the survival stakes. What she didn’t realise was how, over the past couple of weeks, he had subtly ‘made her aware of’ possible perils that ‘a girl travelling alone’ might face; dangers that she had not even known existed!

They had been hiding out in the cellar of a now-ruined building. They were on the outskirts of what must once have been a thriving city, but now, as with many places she had passed through, it been reduced to a ravaged landscape. A place like this must be inhabited in some way though, Ryan had convinced her. And there would be a wealth of resources for the taking, not least food. And somehow she had allowed herself not only to accept Ryan’s offer to go ahead and reconnoitre the situation, but his assertion that she should not venture into the city until he had checked that it was 'safe' for her to do so! Which is why, she had finally realised over the last 24 hours of his absence, that instead of being competent and capable enough to make her own decisions and take care of herself as she used to, she now found herself trapped, unable to do anything but sit and wait for Ryan’s return.

”Kat!”

She jumped at the sound of the voice just behind her. So preoccupied had she been that she had not heard him return. Resentment turned instantly to relief.

”Ryan! Oh my God! Are you ok?”

She swiftly took in his appearance… No visible injuries. She tried to read his expression.

”How did it go?”

He made no reply. Instead he held out a paper wrapped package. Her frustration was quashed once again by the sight of food: more in quantity and quality than she had seen for a long time. She began to share out the portions.

”Nah .. I ate. This if for you. Eat it all. There’s plenty more … “

Kat did not need telling twice. Savouring every mouthful, she listened to Ryan’s animated description of the city. Travelling through the centre of the city would ‘not be a good idea’ he told her, the lack of specific details giving her a twinge of frustration. She wanted, needed to know what or who might be holed up there. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen ‘bad things’ before. But before she could voice her thoughts he had rushed on telling her that the actual suburbs were ‘rich pickings’.

There was this one place …

By the time the darkness had fallen once more, the plan was made.
He had found it. A place to stay; somewhere warm, with a plentiful food source and above all a place that was safe and where she could finally relax! It was more than she had hoped for.

”Thank you Ryan,”

She broke her own rule and hugged him briefly.
She wasn’t getting attached, she was just grateful.
At last, they had gotten what Ryan called, ‘a lucky break’.
Kat shrugged. Luck wasn’t something she believed in anymore, though perhaps this one time … she would accept any good fortune as her due…?

Kat

Suddenly, his mind snapped back to the here and now. He observed a young man, carrying a package, dart across the street, and into a ruined store of some kind, he guessed it must have been. A few minutes later, he emerged again, this time leading a young woman, across the street and down a block or so.

Careful to remain unseen, he shadowed them, seeing them enter a building which must have been a Casino, guessing by the broken, but legible signage announcing ‘Welcome to the High Roller’, swinging above the main entrance, which they ducked underneath, to disappear into the interior.

John could see no other people, and hear no vices, so he took a risk and ran from cover to the side of the Casino before spying a fire escape and climbing upwards, praying it wouldn’t creak or groan under his weight.

He could hear voices, and alighted on the second floor, and guessed whoever they belonged to was close by. All men, by the sound of them.
He could see the fire escape led to the roof, so he decided to head up there and see what else he could see.

”Looks like it used to be a casino…”

Kat stared up at the building that was more sizeable than she had imagined and which would be, she suspected, more luxurious inside. She didn’t need luxury, but she could understand why Ryan was so excited to find a place like this for them.

”Casino, hotel, restaurant … it’s got it all … “

He was bragging as if it were his, which Kat found … amusing …

”Real furniture, real beds … it’s been a while … “

She mused softly as she took in the façade.
Ryan too seemed to be taking in the sight.

”Shall we…?”

She nodded at Ryan's words and moved past him as he indicated and through into the hall way. It was strange. The door had opened without having to be wrenched on rusty hinges and the room she stood in looked almost as if it had lived in a bubble apart from the disasters they had all lived through.

”It’s … bizarre… “

She murmured, her curiosity taking her further into the building.

”Look Ryan … slot machines!?! … and this … a games room … “

Making no comment, Ryan indicated a door on the far right. Tables, booths, a dance floor greeted her …

”Don’t you think this is going to be … too much …. ?”

She asked. With just the two of them standing there the scale of the place was intimidating …

”I don’t know if… “

From within the room an unfamiliar voice stopped her mid-sentence.

”Oh you’re gonna love it here, trust me … “

Whipping round she came face to face with the owner of the voice.
Steely eyes matched the cold threat of his words.
He had an aura of authority about him.

“Wh… “

She had no voice to ask what he meant.

”We’re real … friendly … “

Another, different voice told her ...
From surrounding booths one … two … three… God … four other men stood and walked towards her as she took a step back coming up against the bulk of Ryan behind her.
Ryan! What chance would he stand against 5 of them?
But surely there was something … ?
Each of his hands moved to her upper arms.
For once she welcomed the physical contact, the support.

”Like, I told ya. Kit-Kat here isn’t such a ‘friendly’ type …”

Ryan’s voice! But sarcastic ... cruel? Kat’s mind raced to make sense.
She went to turn round, to question her ‘companion’, but his fingers locked in a vice-like grip and held her pinned.

”She will be.”

One of the men had walked up to her and reached out to run his hand through her hair. There was nothing Kat could do to defend herself.

”And we love to share, right?”

The second man joined the first in reaching out to take her from Ryan’s grasp. They managed to pin her, even as their hands groped at her body as Kat attempted to struggle.

”Ryan, how c…. “

The accusation died as she saw that he was actually getting off on watching the men attack her. As if realising this, the men on either side merely held her securely turning their focus instead on Ryan.

”Say bye to the little lady …”

The man, who was obviously the boss, ordered Ryan calm authority.

”Hey, I want my turn with her. Like I said, she ain’t been the real friendly type… “

The outburst was out of place in the silent room.
It was clear even to Kat that the boss was not used to being spoken to like that.

Ryan moderated his tone, but still protested.

”We had a deal. I bring the girl and … “

Kat’s shock doubled as she listened. He had traded her for ... what? For a place in the ‘gang’?
There was no other word to describe the group of men she was being held by. And, she realised as the conversation continued, the group was far larger than just these five! They were just the 'home guard'!

”You can’t even handle one girl.”

It was clear the conversation was not going as Ryan had planned. The men were clearly unimpressed.

”Anyone of the boys here could take her ..."

He snapped his fingers.

" ... like that.”

Kat gasped at his words. The soft sound drew his attention.

”And they will … “

His steely eyes held Kat’s.

”We all will … many … many … times … “

She struggled weakly causing him shake his head in mild amusement.

”I admire a bit of spirit..."

His eyes snapped across to Ryan.

"But as for you...”

There was the briefest of pauses.

”You I have no use for.”

It all happened so fast.
The flash of the gun.
Ryan’s body slumping and the blood.
And the scream that shattered the silence.
Kat’s scream. A scream of horror at the execution she had just witnessed and of terror now that she knew just what these men were capable of.

John clambered carefully across the rooftop, dodging skylights and other hazards which could give him away to anyone who might just be looking in the right direction.
He could look down through a skylight and see the guy lead the girl into a room, and although he couldn’t hear what was said clearly, the tone was clear enough.
They had wandered into a room, and been surprised by four guys he could see, maybe there were two more out of sight?
Whichever way this played out, John knew enough to know this story didn’t have a happy ending.

He carefully unhooked his backpack and took out his collapsible compound bow, and quiver of arrows. Somehow he thought the two youngsters may need a helping hand.

As he watched though, she saw the dynamic inside the room change. The shift was so quick he almost missed it himself, given he could only hear muffled voices, although their menacing intent was obvious. As the young guy grabbed the girl’s arms, and her look of surprise, she had no idea she was being traded, for something - either food, or maybe just his life.
As the young man stepped forward, attempting to bolster his negotiating position, he appeared to anger the bigger of the men, who was apparently the leader, whose body-language became increasingly belligerent, before he fast-drew a pistol, and shot the young man without warning, dropping him like a stone.

John had seen enough people killed, to know at least the poor sap hadn’t suffered, he’d died instantly. The sudden boom had made him jump, but at least he didn't fall off the roof.
His attention turned back to the larger man, who now held a pistol, which he had ably demonstrated, he knew how to use.
He gestured with it, to one of the men, who stepped forward and after a short exchange, grabbed the girl by the arm, and half-dragged her from the room.

John could see she was being taken towards the end of the building, and as he made to follow, saw two of the other men, approach the young man’s body, no doubt - to dispose of it.

John crept along the edge of the building, as stealthily as he could, seeing where the man took the girl, who obviously didn’t want to be there, judging by the struggle she put up, and the muffled curses he could hear. At one point the man reached back and grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to her knees, as he pulled a wicked looking knife from a belt-sheath.
The poor girl was seemingly paralysed with fear, as being unarmed, and confronted by a larger, and armed foe, did not have many options from which to choose.

Her position did give John an advantage, though. He now had a clear shot over the top of her head, and as the man slowly brought the knife closer to her face, probably just to scare her - John prayed the skylight would open silently.
He held his breath as he placed his bow on the floor, and slid the pane free of the lip, and it tilted smoothly.
John breathed once more; picked up his bow again, and carefully nocked, aimed, then loosed his arrow. As the skylight he was crouched next to gave him a perfect angle for his shot, the arrow flew true, and one second, the thug was tormenting the girl, and the next he stood swaying, and gurgling in surprise, as the arrow tore through his throat, stealing any scream he may have made, before he sank to his knees, and toppled sideways onto the carpeted floor.

The girl recovered well, John noted.

In only a couple of seconds, barely enough time for her to register he was there, she was up on her feet again and moving to the door which led to the fire escape.
John met her there, causing her to pull up short rather suddenly, as she didn’t know who this stranger was, brandishing a bow and backpack.
“Come with me if you want to live!” John growled at her menacingly. After all, now was not the time for niceties.
This man’s friends would be dismayed and then angered that someone had taken out one of their own, and would most likely exact revenge on whoever they found, guilty or not.

He for one, didn’t intend to be around when that happened.
The girl said something which sounded like ‘Wha?’
John could almost see her replaying the arrow strike in her head, and thinking she was going into shock herself, decided to carry her and run for it.
Although he was only climbing using one arm, the girl was slight, and weighed very little, and so they made it to the ground safely.

John pointed to a building across the street, wanting to put as much distance between them and the Casino as possible quickly.
“There!”
He told her, giving her a gentle push towards the building, towards which she had the good sense to run, before he followed her, making sure they weren’t being followed.

After they had made steady progress away from the Casino, they both dared stop inside an abandoned Police Station.
John found a storeroom with some canned food, and bottles of water.
As he rifled through the cupboards, and helped himself to the choice items, he turned and said to the girl:
“My name’s John. Sorry about that back there, but I couldn’t let him kill you in cold blood, if that’s what he was intending.”

He took off his backpack and grabbed a smaller backpack out of it, which he thrust at the girl; waiting for her to introduce herself, as he motioned for her to fill the smaller backpack.

Kat found herself abruptly removed from the room. She offered no real resistance and in moments she and her one escort had traversed corridors. Belatedly she realised that with a one-on-one ratio she might have stood a chance of getting away, but by the time she thought to put up a struggle they had arrived at what surely must be the back of the building in an office-like room – or at least it had been once. Though she had not been difficult to handle, it was clear that the guy charged with taking care of her was unamused by her feeble attempts.

Despite her intention to show no fear, Kat backed away as he advanced on her and somehow found herself trapped against a heavy wooden desk with no way to avoid him as he grabbed at her hair. The cry she gave was involuntary, but it seemed to encourage rather than deter. Forced to her knees, Kat found herself looking up into the shining knife blade and froze as she felt its cold steel touch her jaw line. Either she was going to be executed, cut or … she closed her eyes and braced herself not quite knowing what the worse of the fates would be …

One moment the thug had her pinned, the next the knife fell free and her attacker seemed to just crumple to the floor beside her. She had no idea what had happened, but it didn’t matter; it took her a fraction of a second to act. If her fight instinct had been dulled before, her flight mode was fully primed. Taking to her feet Kat headed out of the door, turned down the corridor and burst out to the fire escape. In mid-flight, she all but ran into the man blocking her exit there. So, it seemed that she would have to fight her way out of there after all…

“Come with me if you want to live!”

His tone was threatening.
Was this going to be the trade off?
He’d let her live in exchange for …

She didn’t have time to finish the thought before he grabbed her and unceremoniously carried her bodily. Initially she struggled, but the drop beneath them stilled her. Falling to her death from a great height wasn’t the best of ideas she calculated.

Once on the ground, she prepared to take issue with him once more, but his single worded command, “There!” was enough to send her on her way, after all, one man would be easier to handle than a whole gang. And so she ran. She noted that he stayed back at first, making it obvious that he didn’t want them to be followed and that was fine by her...

They finally took refuge, having put what she assumed was sufficient distance between themselves and the guys at the casino. She looked out at the ruined buildings as he made himself busy. She sighed in exasperation. They had travelled at speed and indirectly, circling buildings and changing direction constantly. She had totally lost her bearings and had no idea how to get back to the safer outskirts she had passed only this morning. Turning, she made her way towards the sound of cans being moved and realised that he was ransacking a store room. He turned as she entered.

“My name’s John. Sorry about that back there, but I couldn’t let him kill you in cold blood, if that’s what he was intending.”

So he was saviour rather than assailant? But that didn’t make sense …
She was all out of trust after Ryan. She wasn’t convinced.
It was obvious that he wanted her to fill the second backpack which he pushed towards her. With only the merest hesitation she complied.

”They don’t strike me as men who’d let you just go it alone … “

She observed warily, deliberately omitting to tell him her name and going on her original assumption that he had broken away from the gang she had found herself at the mercy of.

”I’d thank you for getting me out of there, but that depends on just what kind of ‘gratitude’ you have in mind … “

She accused.

”As for killing in cold blood … “

Belatedly she had noticed the bow slung across his back and realised that he must have been responsible for the demise of her attacker.

John grinned sheepishly at her.
“Huh?” Then the penny dropped.
“Oh I’m definitely not with those guys. Sorry about your boyfriend, by the way. That was cold. I couldn’t do anything to save him, but I wasn’t going to let that guy with the knife do whatever he was going to do to you.”

John opened a can of Coke and offered it to her.
“Sorry that I had to just throw you over my shoulder and run. That was probably really uncomfortable. I just wanted to get you safely away from there, and then you can decide on your next move. As far as gratitude - well, I'm not going to force myself on you or anything, 'cause that just ain't right!”

When she seemed non-committal, he added:
“I was kinda hoping you’d want to stick with me, as it’s pretty lonely out here on your own, and you’re the first person I’ve seen for weeks now.”
He didn’t add that it was easier to survive together than alone, and nowadays that was the name of the game.
They found an abandoned building far enough away that they were as safe as could reasonably be expected, unless anyone close by had heat-detection equipment, but he considered that unlikely.

He had liberated some deep-frozen steaks and took the two from the outside of the pack which ad started to defrost, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that this building still had some running water and a working gas supply, so he washed a couple of pans, and lit one of the gas rings, heated water in one pan, and washed the other with hot soapy water, sterilising it before daring to cook in it.
He found an unopened jar of coffee, and a couple of cups which seemed OK, so he washed them too.

After a half-hour he had cooked them a meal of coffee and steak, and had to apologise for his growling stomach. This was the first substantial meal he had eaten for days!
Kat seemed to be almost as ravenous, although he marvelled at how someone so slender could pack away almost as much food as him!