KC met the other refugees throughout the day; they were all distributed through various shipping containers.
Container K-129 was where the frail Rotten Evil woman and her two children lived. She told KC about her life before going on the run. Like her, she was living in hiding, but for an entire forty years. She had been hiding in Wheren for as long as she could remember, and has just now decided to head for The Forsaken America. The woman was neurotic and uneasy, unlike her children, who knew no better.
Container S-001 was the living space of Oscar Renton, a young immortal of 50 years who has decided to join the fight for freedom in America. A chipper and enthusiastic young man, Oscar offered to help KC with her belongings. When he was told she didn’t have any, he offered her some things of his.
“I only really have blankets and books, but there’s a bit of personalization here.” He said excitedly.
Container F-091 was where Otto’s wife lived. Otto, despite being immortal, had married a young widow named Daisy. She had a child, an 11 year old named Jason, who was taken away from her by the EPoB. Escaping from authorities, she took shelter on Otto’s boat. She told KC that Otto had started saving fugitives when he had met her. Her Container was the most luxurious, built up over years of staying there. Daisy, distraught over the loss of her husband, spent most of KC’s visit crying into her shoulder.
Container A-111 was where Todd and Landon Hicks lived. Two Rotten Evil brothers, they used to own a farm with their family in rural Beauland, but had since gained interest of the EPoB. During a gunfight at their barn, Todd and Landon were the only two who made it out alive. Deciding to live a better life elsewhere, they met Otto.
Todd and Landon were tall and muscular young men. They were arrogant and annoying, but they made up for it with their strength and combined willpower. Alone they were a bore but together they were a force to be reckoned with.
Container F-090 was where Otto had set up a personal office, which the four Angels were spacing out for their own living. They decided to take the death of Otto as their own responsibility, vowing to the fugitives that, although they will not be returning to Beauland, they will reach America safely. The fugitives seemed mildly reassured.
Container Z-028 was KC’s cell, completely empty. She took the blanket and books that Oscar had gifted her and tossed them onto the floor. She fell atop the blanket, holding her stomach. She closed her eyes, ready for rest.
She had only been asleep fifteen minutes before The Black Angel began knocking on her door. She barely woke up.
“Hello?” She asked casually, the container door drew open, filling it with sunlight and piercing KC’s eyes, which she promptly shut.
“There’s a meeting.” The Black Angel said.
KC rose slowly, holding onto the container walls for support. The Black Angel helped KC out of the container.
“Come.” He said. Down the hall of shipping containers and in front of the office were all the angels and fugitives, sitting in a circle. The frail woman was having trouble keeping her children down, but one mean look from Todd and Landon and the kids sat down quietly. Oscar chuckled. The Black Angel began to speak in a booming and powerful voice.
“My name is Jameson; I am a member of The Angels. It has come to my great displeasure to tell any that have not heard; your Captain, Otto, has passed away. He had been bludgeoned to death by an Eternal Protector. Since his passing we have decided to operate the boat ourselves in the hopes of getting you all to America safely.”
“On this boat the differences between immortal and mortal are thrown away. On this boat we do not look at one another through the wrinkles of their skin but through the strength of their character. On this boat there is nobody but humans.”
“We have several communities in America that we will make sure you are all brought to and settled down in. In our communities we have no prejudice, we have no crime, and we have no government. We rely purely on the strength of the people, the strength of you.”
“It’s going to be a long ride over these next few months, and I want all of you to stay strong. All of you.” He said, looking directly at KC. “Thank you.”
As Jameson the Black Angel sat down, he was received a small applause, namely from Oscar and Daisy. As the small applause settled down one of the frail woman’s children’s voices could be overheard.
“Why is her belly sticking out like that? Is she only fat in her belly?” One of the kids asked the other. Everyone looked over at KC, who was completely unsure of what to say.
After the meeting everyone enjoyed a quick meal of mashed potatoes and corn before returning to their containers just before sunset. To KC’s surprise, Landon was standing in her container.
“Hey.” Landon said.
“What do you want?” KC said, not trying to sound rude.
“Oh… Err… I just… I never caught your name.” He said.
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“It’s KC.” She said.
“KC. Hmm. I’ve never heard that name before.”
“It’s fairly common.”
And dead silence. KC could tell that Landon wanted to tell more, but why won’t he just say it?
“Listen, KC… You know, it’s going to be a long trip… and I figured…”
KC’s eyes bugged open. Is he asking what he’s asking?
“You figured what, exactly?” KC said, rather annoyed.
“Well, there are not a lot of good looking women on this boat, and…” Landon said, hands clasped together; and that was when KC threw her shoe at him.
“How dare you? Does that approach work for you often? ‘Not a lot of good looking women on this boat’?” She asked, her voice rising in pitch and anger.
“No! No, I didn’t mean it like that!” And then KC began smacking him with her other shoe.
“Get the hell out of here right now! Get out! Its men like you who got me into this mess! Leave me alone!”
Landon tried to resist her shoe smacks, but it proved too painful, and he began backing out of her container. As he stepped out, she threw her shoe after him and began pointing at the bump in the stomach.
“Do you know what this is? Do you have any idea what this means to me?” She hissed. “I wouldn’t be stuck here with dogs like you if it wasn’t for dogs like you!”
Landon looked genuinely confused. Before he had a chance to defend himself further, KC threw the container door shut.
KC sits on her blanket, staring into a book she is not reading; it was pitch black, far too dark to read. She thought about the first time she had met Kyle. Kyle worked with her at the factory, he was a young and handsome Rotten Evil who KC had grew to fancy. They spent every available moment together for months, and half the time they were having sex.
Sex was one of the pleasures that immortals would never know; the feeling of another’s skin rubbing against your own, engaged in an act of love in its truest form. This has been stripped away from them, leaving them loveless and bitter.
Kyle was KC’s one true hope in her miserable and decaying world. He was the light that dragged her out of the depths of hell and held her up with the sun, illuminating her over the world below, showing to everyone who had ever lived the power that lied beneath her. That was, until he got her pregnant.
KC should have known something was up, maybe after a few too many inseminations Kyle had grown weary of KC’s womb. He had disappeared one day, from the factory, from town, and from KC’s life. It had been four months now and she hasn’t heard a word since.
As dark as it sounds, sometimes she had hoped that the EPoB had found out about Kyle’s true identity as a Rotten Evil and had him killed. At least in that case she knew that he wasn’t gone because of her.
After an hour of stewing on this, KC heard an audible click outside of her container door. Suspicious and thoroughly annoyed, she jumped up off the container floor and went to investigate, only to find that her container door had been locked from the outside.
She began pounding on the door,
“Come on, Assholes! This isn’t funny! Let me out!” She screamed, but to no avail. Whoever had locked her in either wasn’t around anymore to let her out, or simply didn’t care.
After twenty minutes of wearing out her voice from screaming and her fists from pounding on the steel container door. It was useless. Anyone on the ship was in their own container at this pound. No one would find her until the morning, and that is if they even find her then. She reassured herself that she’ll just have to sleep it off and Jameson will come looking for her in the morning. She knows for sure that once she’s out of this box she’s going straight for Landon’s throat. And that’s when the guns started to go off.
The ship filled up with the sound of bullets and screaming. Who was fighting who was unsure; but surely the EPoB had gained access to the ship. Maybe Oscar had been an agent; he had seemed far too enthusiastic and clean cut to be a freedom fighter. KC could have sworn she heard Daisy screaming for help. After a few seconds of screaming and the blasts of guns, her voice fell silent. The Angels could be heard muttering commands to one another, with the Angel women giving some sort of war cry before it abruptly ending.
KC fell back into the far corner of her container, staring at the door, trying to get this horror out of her head. But it wouldn’t stop the guns, or the blood curdled screaming of the frail woman’s children, or the ricochet of bullets. It went on for hours, losing momentum at times but it had never went more than a minute without a gun going off.
KC felt around for a weapon; her shoes would no longer be adequate. She took the book Oscar had gifted her and wrapped her blanket around it, using it as a mace.
She moved up close to the container door, waiting, mace in hand. She wasn’t ready, but she was as prepared as she could be. She stayed up until the bullets stopped. Whether the sun had rose or not, she did not know; there were no windows in the container.
After a half hour of silence, as she began to let her fatigue get the better of her consciousness, another loud click was heard outside of the container door. It woke her right up.
The container door began to slide open, and momentarily blinded by the sunlight, KC found Landon, Todd, and Oscar standing outside of her container, guns aimed at her. Landon was angry. Todd was smiling. Oscar was guilty.
“Out of the box, sweetheart.” Todd said.
“Fuck you.” KC snarled.
Todd fired his gun over KC’s shoulder, the sound of the bullet bouncing off the container walls was deafening. KC screamed, and Oscar winced. Nonetheless, it was a miracle that the bullet had not hit her. Todd nodded his gun, and KC walked out silently.
Outside of the container she could see the bullet ridden bodies of one of the female Angels, and one of the frail woman’s children. KC began to shed tears.
“You monsters, what the hell is wrong with you?” She cried.
“What the hell is wrong with us?” Todd said, insulted. “What the hell is wrong with the world, KC? Survival is no longer guaranteed, we need to look out for ourselves. The Angels, they’re magnets to the EPoB. There’s no doubt in my mind that agents would have been waiting for us in America. At least with us we can try to pass as EPoB agents. Or maybe we could just give you to them.” Todd smiled widely. KC spit in his face. Todd punched her in the face. KC swung the mace at him, but Landon tackled her to the ground, the mace falling out of her hands.
Landon pinned her to the floor, holding her down by her hands. KC growled at him.
“Get off her, Landon, for fuck sakes.” Oscar said.
“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Landon snarled. Todd put his hand on Landon’s shoulder.
“Landon, seriously. Not yet.” Todd said, calmly. Landon, resent in his eyes, let KC go and stood up, holding out a hand to help KC up. She got up herself.
“Alright, KC.” Landon said, “It’s time to join the others. Follow me.”
Todd led the way back towards Otto’s office, Landon pressing his rifle against KC’s back. She followed in front of him, behind Todd. Oscar sulked around in the back.