Rohan
Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 (32 days after the Shutdown)
The sole survivor of the supply drop expedition was gulping down his fourth bottle of water, oblivious to the crowd of soldiers studying him. Reaching for another, the colonel grabbed his wrist and held it until the scout slowly looked up in confusion.
“Colonel, he’s delirious. We can’t get anything out of him,” a soldier complained. From the way she carried herself and how the other soldiers gave her a wide berth, she was higher in the ranks; likely a major or a captain.
“Doesn’t matter, Hogue. We need to know what happened out there. Something he saw might give us a clue about their weaknesses.”
“... weakness?” the scout mumbled. “They have none.”
Rounding on him, the colonel shook him by his shoulders. “Elaborate. No, first tell me what happened to the soldier who was supposed to lead the expedition, Captain Bartosz.”
“He’s dead… they’re all dead.”
We… know. You came back alone, Rohan reasoned but he kept those thoughts to himself.
“What happened to the supplies you were supposed to return with?” Colonel Ridges prompted.
“Supplies?” the scout listlessly replied. “... What about them?”
“Bartosz was tasked with collecting supplies from the government, what happened to them?”
“I-I… they were waiting for us, dozens of them at the hangar. I told him… I fucking told him to leave but he insisted that we still check it out!” he snapped, growing increasingly agitated as recounted the expedition. “It w-was a graveyard… other soldiers from across the NCR were there a-and t-then…”
“And then what?” Rohan spoke up, forgetting himself.
The soldier stared at him with a fractured look in his eyes.
“... it ended as quickly as it started,” he whimpered.
The room grew deathly silent.
“But is there anything you noticed about them? Any strange behavior that would give us an advantage?” the colonel asked, pushing him for an answer.
“... an advantage? They have no weaknesses. The only thing we noticed is that the closer we went to the… Hill and the hangar, the more Sorrows there were. Don’t you understand—”
“How many are there in this neighborhood? 50? 100? 1000?”
“1000? I-I don’t think… based on what we saw there’s not even a 100 within the city. Maybe 30? Sir… I… ” He stopped talking.
“... very well. Thank you for your effort.”
The scout staggered past the crowd before collapsing onto a table.
“What now?” Hogue queried, watching the scout mumble in his sleep. “What can we do about getting rid of the ones in the school?”
While they debated the pros and cons of whatever plans they concocted, Rohan moved to the far side of the cafeteria where he could think in peace.
The reason why there are more near the center of the city and the government buildings makes sense. It's downtown so there is a higher population of humans and since they’re attracted to humans… well the question answers itself. And… and there’s also the possibility that they attracted some of them toward the hangar… That means this neighborhood has a lower number than downtown since there are fewer people, he reasoned, nearing the precipice of a revelation.
There’s no way it’s that simple… they’re just attracted to larger populations… which would explain why they went after Peyton rather than follow me. So its not that they can’t see… there were just more people in the foyer. And right now… did they go after the 3 scouts because it was easier or because in that specific area, that was the highest concentration of prey?
Stopping his deliberation to listen to the soldiers’ discussion, he shook his head and returned to his own.
Assuming the halls are empty… as soon as someone steps out, they become the "highest concentration" so the Sorrows should move towards them. If that person acts like the bait… we can draw and capture them in a room… I don't think there's anyone crazy enough to volunteer or strong enough to withstand their 'Death Cry'.
Hobbling back to the intense discussion the soldiers were having, he tapped the nearest soldier's shoulder.
“What do you want, we're busy.”
“Sure you are. I have a plan that actually might work. Just hear me out.”
Minutes later, he was explaining his plan to the 50 soldiers, all of whom were keenly paying attention to the details he laid out.
“Mmm yes, that could work. It's very similar to our plan,” the colonel mused.
Really?
“Kid, you don't have to look so surprised,” he reproached. “Now the million dollar question. Who wants to go?”
Anxious faces greeted him while others turned away, avoiding eye contact. Rohan watched Colonel Ridges study his men. Whomever he chose, it was the same as asking them to die and no one within the unit was eager to court death.
“I'll go.” A soldier near the back raised his hand. “Private Doss, sir.”
“I'll join him. I can't believe we're following some kid’s plan but the more people, the stronger the attraction,” said a soldier beside Private Doss. “For the plan to work, we need to be sure that the hallways are empty aside from the Sorrows. Can you guarantee that?”
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Rohan thought about that. “We can only hope that people have barricaded themselves within classrooms and are waiting to be saved.”
The soldier nodded as if he had thought as much.
“There are classrooms in the western wing that have two entrances. For this plan to work, you have to draw both of their attention at the same time and lead them to an empty classroom. The steps are straightforward,” the colonel said, listing them off on his fingers. “First, scout and secure a room. Second, draw them to the foyer to group them together. And once you've done that, only then lead them to the classroom through one entrance and block off the exit. A soldier will be on standby to do the same for the entrance. Major Hogue will outfit you with wax earplugs. Godspeed to both of you.”
“... Sir, I’m an atheist.”
“...”
“Right,” the soldier coughed awkwardly, his face turning beet red. “We'll get going then.”
***
Once the soldiers left, Rohan sat by the sleeping scout, dissociating himself from the rescue mission. He didn’t want to be responsible for another soldier's death.
However, sitting on the sidelines wasn't any easier. When he heard the haunting cry of the Sorrows, he found himself praying that its victim wasn't Jake, Peyton, or one of the few people he’d come to care about.
“Go!” he heard the colonel yell from one of the doors.
Boots slammed against the floor as they took off toward the room, urgency being of the utmost importance in those split seconds. Butterflies filled his stomach and it didn’t help that the colonel felt it necessary to commentate everything.
“He’s there… keep going… almost… almost… yes! YES! YES!”
Cheers erupted from the soldiers as the threat was finally neutralized. The colonel said something else but for some reason, Rohan couldn’t hear him. His vision started to blur. What the fuck? Wiping his eyes, beads of water rolled down his finger. Shit… why am I crying?
He hadn’t realized how much he’d pent up, bottling his concerns and worries and burying them under a new task like he’d done all his life. This time he thought he could get away with it but it was too much.
Sorrows killing people like machines. Witnessing death for the first time. A month-long coma filled with memories of a giant serpent that had been chained to the heavens. His body was shattered by a tattoo that had magically appeared. And the red sky – the source of all his problems.
Since that day, the structured and mundane life he’d spent years building for himself spiraled out of control. No matter how much he’d tried to settle back into a routine, it felt that the world was actively working against him.
But for the first time, something he’d thought of had actually worked. He’d taken the first step to move forward in this apocalyptic world.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to look and saw Major Hogue smiling down at him.
“A little rough, but not bad kid, not bad at all.”
***
The room with the trapped Sorrows had been boarded up and guards had been stationed in front of the two doors. The same was done for the back exit that Peyton had opened.
With the news that Sorrows had entered the school in spite of the large military presence, trust in the military dropped, and for a while after, people isolated themselves to the second floor in the western wing. The military had done its best to explain the situation, yet no amount of convincing would justify how 3 Sorrows practically waltzed in.
The second they’d assessed the situation, Colonel Ridges launched an investigation into the two missing soldiers. Rao and Chen, who were supposed to have patrolled the southeastern wing where the breach occurred, had left no trace behind even after hours of scouring the high school.
Gossip spread about how soldiers were deserting the school and people had a better chance of surviving outside on their own. Moral dropped lower than ever and the sense of normality the soldiers so desperately fostered started to bare its loose threads.
Roughly 40 civilians had been unwillingly trapped in the school since the Sorrows had attacked. Forming a fifth of the total demographic, they’d come rushing when they heard soldiers were stationed at a nearby school, and in their haste, leaving family behind to venture in search of supplies. Emotionally, they’d been faring the worst and the recent breach only served to remind them of their family’s safety. The civilians spent the rest of the night vehemently protesting their stay until Colonel Ridges relented.
Starting tomorrow, civilians would be released in waves but once they left, Colonel Ridges warned them that they forfeited the protection of the military. If they failed and came running back, the school’s doors would be closed to them. Even with the ultimatum the civilians wholeheartedly agreed.
Rohan, for his part, was oblivious to their situation. The month-long period in a coma felt like a day in his timeline, so it had only been a week since he’d last seen his family and from first-hand experience, his mother would probably chase the Sorrows away with a ladle.
Leaving the medical ward after getting his final checkup, he joined the line of people waiting for the gym doors to open. It was markedly shorter than last night. Of the 200 people housed in the school, only a couple dozen had elected to sleep on the first floor, the rest deciding that their best chance of survival was to not be on the same floor where 3 Sorrows were trapped. Their loss.
Taking a corner of the gym, he set his mat down. Although it was night, his mind felt clear like he’d woken up from a long nap. Rolling onto his side, he listened to the wailing of the Sorrows through the thin walls of the gymnasium.
“Rohan, are you awake?” Jake asked, putting his mat beside him.
Rohan closed his eyes, wondering where this was going.
“I suppose not…”
Wailing filled the heavy silence.
“I— No we… me and a few others are leaving tomorrow… I know you’ll complain so don’t worry, it’s only people who are 18 and it was completely their choice. I was already planning this before you woke up from your coma, so… I’m not doing this because I’m scared of what happened today. My mom is by herself trying to take care of my younger brothers, man… she needs my help. The others have people waiting for them as well. Yes, it’s probably stupid, and we might be killed but it's better than staying here. Accidents like today’s will become more frequent as people become impatient. People will fail and die to bring back food just like today and you’ll eventually be forced out. At least this way… we’ll beat the wave and make it on our own instead of waiting on someone else,” he said, his tone growing more certain as he continued. “I was going to ask you to join us if you ever woke up but in your current state, you’d just be a danger to yourself. Just… never mind… Bye.”
“Lights out!” a voice yelled from across the gym, and the lanterns that had been arranged were extinguished one by one.
Left digesting his words, Rohan waited until Jake’s breathing became even to carefully get up from his mat. A danger to myself, eh? Fumbling in the dark trying to find the locker rooms, he tripped over protruding limbs eliciting curses and groans.
He had to bite his lip from moaning in anguish. His skin had been tingling since dinner and while Jake had spoken, its intensity had grown exponentially until his pores felt like they were bathed in acid.
Closing the door, he searched around for the sink but the faucet had run dry. Fuck. His chest grew warmer and the air had turned to lead in his lungs, making his breathing erratic.
Dropping to his knees, his left arm flailed until it broke out of its cast, the quiet filling the locker room punctuated by the popping of his bones knitting themselves back together. A chill ran up his spine and it spontaneously straightened.
In the blinding darkness, a soft glow emanated from his skin as a familiar tattoo returned. The serpentine design coiled around his left arm, taking its place across his forearm. He knew that he should’ve felt dread at that moment, but he smiled at it like it was an old friend. As if in greeting, it flicked its tongue out.
Steadying his breath, he clutched the edges of the sink and pulled himself up. Hanging above the sink, the reflection of a handsome man with luminous green eyes grinned back at him.