“Sometimes, being a parent is easier than you think. The moment your kid’s at risk, you just do what you gotta do. Nothing more to it.”
–Marquise Jones, “Unnamed”. 5 Months After.
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“Just a little further, Dad,” Evelyn whispered. “We’re almost there.”
They pushed through the brush as distant shouts echoed. Evelyn clutched her rifle tight with one arm while Dad wheezed over her shoulder, his body quaking. All they had to do was make it to the car. Then, they’d escape these monsters for good.
“No more,” Dad gasped, squeezing her shoulder tight. “Let me down, Evelyn.”
“Can’t,” she started, but he had already shoved himself off.
He winced as his body floundered into the nearest tree, eyes closed and hand on his chest. His mouth gaped wide, blood trickling out.
“What are you doing!?” Evelyn panted. “They’re getting closer.”
But Dad said nothing as he kept his head still. Evelyn gulped. She didn’t let herself look at the pallid sheen his skin had gotten, nor the blood that just kept leaking out from his gunshot wound. She didn’t fixate on his broken glasses either, or the arms that had gotten so thin and wiry after so much time on the move without rest.
“Dad, please,” Evelyn said. “We have to keep moving. The Jailors are getting closer.” She shuddered, remembering what that group tried to do to her.
He shook his head. “I can’t do it no more.”
“We’re almost there. Come on. The RV can’t be more than half a mile away.”
He sighed. “There’s no RV, Evelyn.”
She recoiled. “What are you talking about? You said it was there last night.”
“That was before Rick lifted the keys from me. By now, that two-faced asshole’s gotta be halfway to Canada. I’m sorry. But it’s just you and me out here.”
Evelyn gaped. That can’t be… How could that man have stolen their ride after what they did for him!?
Another shout echoed, followed by a pair of gunshots. Evelyn cringed. Zeds were nearby too!?
Her wrists quaked. How could this have happened? They’d been doing so well until now. Dad had gotten that RV a month back, and they’d been going from town-to-town along country roads ever since, keeping a low profile. It was all going great until they happened upon that one man.
Rick. The bastard was practically an inch away from death when they found them. Said he had a family. Said he just needed to get up the road to find them. What he didn’t say was who they were with. A group who everyone called “The Jailors.”
Those guys were bad news. Captured all sorts of folks in the area, especially girls. Evelyn thought it was all talk until they came after Rick. They nabbed her trying to run away, but not before Dad promised he’d save her.
And he did, too. Even after the things the Jailors tried to make Evelyn do… Dad came into their compound and got everyone along the way. She’d truly thought it was over until her father kicked open the door to her cell with a hatred she’d never seen before.
So many bodies… So many goddamn bodies.
But the Jailors got Dad too. They barely made it a mile out before he started stumbling from that wound to his chest, and now, he could hardly move at all.
If the RV wasn’t where they left it, then how the hell would they get out of this!?
“I need you to go,” Dad said.
Evelyn nodded. “Sure, Dad. Let’s keep going. We’re bound to find something.”
He shook his head again. “No, I mean you. Not me. I’m done, girl.”
Her throat tightened. “Don’t say that. You’re Marquise Jones. Ain’t no scratch ever slowed you down before.”
“Evelyn, look at me.”
Only then did he meet her in the eyes. She trembled at the sight. Since when did he get so weak and tired?
“I ain’t gonna make it and you know it,” he said. “If you don’t walk away right now, those men are gonna get you.”
“But you’ll die.”
“Nothing to be done about that.”
Evelyn chewed her lips, unable to move.
“Ah, don’t look like that, girl.” His bloodied hand reached up and stroked her hair.
“I can’t lose you.”
“Then don’t.” He shifted his body with a groan and reached into his jacket. A small radio thing came out, and he placed it in her hands.
“What’s this?” Evelyn asked.
“Oh, just some stupid thoughts from your father. I recorded the whole thing in case something like this ever happened. Guess there’s no use holding back now.”
He coughed again, more bodily fluids coming out. His eyes glazed over as he struggled to stay awake.
Evelyn clutched the voice recorder with all her might. She couldn’t do this… She couldn’t run away… Not from Dad. He was the only one she had in this world.
“Please, Dad,” she whimpered. “Just get up and move. Do it for me. Just a little more. I won’t make it without your help.”
“You don’t need me no more, Evelyn. You’re stronger than you know.” He blinked through tears. “Promise me one more thing though.”
“What?”
“Promise that you’ll find love out there, Evelyn. This world’s become a cold, dark place, and it ain’t ever going back to what it was before, but I’ll still die the happiest man in this world so long as I know you’ll be out there, living your life. You deserve to be loved. Don’t let nobody ever try to take that away.”
How can I? Evelyn wanted to say. How could she ever find love in a world like this? Between the zeds and the survivors and all those monsters on top, how could she ever find peace of mind again? Not when the only person she’d ever loved lay on the ground in front.
But as Evelyn met her father in the eyes, he watched back with a confidence that rocked her to the core. He knew she’d find her way, even if she couldn’t see it herself. Like a beam from the sun cutting through the eye of a hurricane, his love still reached out to her, and he cared nothing more than her own peace.
Somehow, that brought her comfort.
“I will, Dad,” Evelyn said, her voice cracking. “I promise that no matter what, I’ll find a way to make it work.”
He chuckled and looked into the sky above, that award-winning smile again plastered across his cheeks. Evelyn grinned back.
But then one second went into the next, and Dad still stared onward without blinking. His chest stopped moving.
It took everything to keep from screaming. Tears clogged her vision, rolling down her cheeks. She sobbed, her body shaking.
Bushes rustled nearby. Shouts grew louder. Evelyn wrapped her fingers around the voice recorder tighter, knowing that she wouldn’t have time to escape this fate.
But still, Evelyn could not take her eyes off her father, locked in that perpetual smile. Even as the walls closed in and clouds blocked out the sun, she could not forget his final words or her promise to him.
She wouldn’t let this world beat her.
* * *
Evelyn executed another Beholder with cold indifference.
“Clear.”
Liam stepped forth. “Think that’s the last one, love.”
She grimaced. “And still no sign of Leah.”
“You heard Ezekiel. If the battle’s gone this poorly for them, they’d have legged it straight to that Watchtower place. We just need to find a truck and we can go after them.”
“Still no sign of one either.” They’d been wandering Elysium for what felt like hours, but after the Pandemonium troops invaded, every vehicle went on the retreat.
And Abraham with them.
“What are we going to do? We need support.”
Just then, more gunshots rang out. Evelyn pivoted into position, her M4 trained to kill as she studied the narrow passage where they’d fled down. I hope that’s Ezekiel…
It wasn’t, but the Beholders did not come either.
Leah rounded the bend, her burgundy scarf trailing behind her sheepskin jacket and jeans, fury in her gaze as she marched forth, her 1911 in hand. More Hunters filed behind, all armed to the teeth.
Evelyn lowered her rifle. “Thank God.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Well, well,” Leah said, violet eyes beaming. “Looks like you two made it alright.”
She drew close, and the two shook hands.
“Heard you got crushed under a mountain,” Liam said before enveloping her in a giant bear hug. “Knew you’d find a way out.”
Leah gasped. “Yep, but you’re not exactly helping right now. Do me a favor and let go before I break my ribs again.”
He complied.
“Can we save the reunion for later?” Evelyn asked.
“Of course. What’s the situation?”
Evelyn went on from there, explaining all that had happened. She went as quick as possible. Time was still of the essence.
Leah nodded once finished. “So you think they’ve gone to Watchtower?”
“Way we figure it, nowhere else for them to go.”
“So, you’re gonna need a truck then.”
“Several, and sooner rather than later. There’s no telling how quickly they’ll act now that Pandemonium is lost to them.”
Leah shrugged. “Easy enough. Between the Municipality’s personal armament and the Beholders fucking off, we’ve got more than enough to spare. Shouldn’t be hard to close in on them with our full arsenal.”
One of her bodyguards grunted, his eyes placid beneath a ballistic helmet. “We’ve got a problem, boss. Just heard from Charon on the radio.
“What is it now, Dwayne?” Leah asked.
“The Beholders detonated some charges on their way out. Took out a whole chunk of the Styx.”
The others hushed as the implication became apparent.
Leah groaned. “You aren’t saying what I think you’re saying, are you?”
“I am,” Dwayne said. “We’ve got hollows pouring into Pandemonium…
“Lots and lots of hollows…”
* * *
A tsunami of desiccated corpses marched through the streets of Pandemonium, drawn by the gunfire and explosions. Those who remained all rushed to safety. Even though rezzers were the superior fighters and had little to fear from simple bites, their problems compounded when so many hollows grouped together, especially with their conventional defenses so weakened by the ongoing battle.
What should have been a simple extermination thus evolved into a city-wide crisis as everyone fought against a third armada without end. Bullets and missiles were launched into this invading force, but for every hollow killed, ten more were there to replace, clawing into anything with the slightest bit of sentience. Everyone who couldn’t get to safety was swallowed by this army, with or without a cloak.
And it was inside this grey sea where a convoy of armored trucks rolled through, spraying thousands of bullets from minigun turrets in a hopeless attempt to thin this horde out.
“Gun’s overheating!” one of the drivers announced through the radio. “Need covering fire!”
“Still down here!” another said. “What’s the hold-up back there?”
Another gasped. “Fucking Beholders… Engine’s sputtering. We’re losing horsepower!”
“For fuck’s sake, why won’t this herd end!?”
“Too many fucking hollows,” Leah muttered, leaning into the front of their armoured truck and grabbing the radio for herself. “Alright, here’s how we’re playing this, everyone! Trucks One and Two, shift to the left lane and slow down, then turn back between Trucks Four and Five. My truck will take the lead until we reach the drop point.”
They affirmed her command.
She turned to Dwayne. “Hook due south once we reach the next block. That’s our clearest shot to head them off.”
He saluted, one hand still on the wheel. “Roger, boss.”
“Where you going, Leah?” Liam asked as she clambered to the back again.
“What do you think? To clear the way.”
She tapped her Hunter ally on the shoulder from his seat on the roof-mounted turret. In a flash, their positions swapped, with her on the .30 cal Gatling gun, and him manning a grenade launcher below. The forward trucks parted ways, leaving room for theirs to drive through. Dwayne kept an even pace as Leah yanked the electric rotor online. Six barrels of destruction spun into motion.
The Head Huntress concentrated all her firepower into hollows in front. Corpses evaporated from where her bullets splattered through the endless herd, forming an open line. Brass casings rained from above as they roared out of the rotary barrels, countless times per second.
And Evelyn watched from the back, her eyes fixed on the horizon. Watchtower protruded out from the ruins of Los Angeles, a lone monument reaching into the heavens above. It was there where rezzers kept an eye on all activity inside the California basin, and it was there where they would have to go next.
We’re coming for you, my baby girl. Just hold out a little more.
The truck shifted south, with Leah eviscerating more hollows between. Some of the rearward trucks took the cue and launched grenades of their own, opening the path further up. Viscera continued to burst through the air.
“Best place to shepherd the hollows is that park a mile south from here!” Leah shouted over the roar of her turret. “We make enough noise and they’ll be drawn there instead of the city!”
“What about the northside breach!?” Dwayne shouted back.
“Charon’s on defense! We’ll have to trust that he can see that fight through once the herd slows down!” she glanced over to Watchtower as well. “We’ve still got our own war to end. Tell everyone else to keep the hollows busy while we head for Abraham!”
“Understood!”
He relayed the commands through the radio. The other drivers echoed their agreement, seeing the Head Huntress in action.
The hollows were truly unending. Evelyn’s vantage inside Pandemonium had not done this herd justice. Father Abraham hadn’t just lured a handful of undead into this valley. He’d practically cleared this side of the country of anything that could move. Millions had been brought into this valley, if not more.
After this I looked, she considered. And behold, a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…
Sure, like all else, much of the translation became lost in Abraham’s version of Revelations, but this was an uncanny appearance that could not be denied. An Armageddon had been unleashed, flooding the valley with an army of the dead. If there ever was a time for the skies themselves to open and the world to end, it would be here and now.
Evelyn grit her teeth. They didn’t have much time.
The trucks reached their destination, an open park stretching for several acres. Leah relayed more orders. A group of Hunters quickly set up pyrotechnic launchers while the others formed a parameter. Fireworks exploded above soon after, drawing all hollows within miles and thinning the wave that wandered through the Styx. The trucks laid into the incoming herd with all their might.
Not their truck though. Leah took their two strongest vehicles and soared due East, heading straight for downtown LA. The roads cleared up soon after, and all the hollows’ attention focused on the fireworks display behind. What few undead that crossed their paths were quickly crushed beneath heavy-duty tires, no more ammo wasted.
The closer they drew, the more Watchtower climbed in prominence. Even before the Hollowing, this skyscraper was one of the most iconic in Los Angeles, shaped like a tall, round tower, with a crown that framed the rotunda on the final floor. Whitestone encased crystalline glass sheets along its length, now reflected grey under an overcast sky. The whole monstrosity stood well over one thousand feet tall across seventy stories. It rose as the singular monolith too. All nearby buildings had either fallen through the occasional earthquakes that plagued this part of the world or by controlled blasts from the rezzers to keep its foundation from ever getting compromised.
And to Evelyn’s dismay, a second sea of hollows had congregated nearby. As their truck came in range, she heard passionate hymns of the Holy Word recited from where speakers had been affixed to the first floor’s windows.
He’s been planning this for weeks, she realized. The goal was always to bring Leah here and perform this ritual the second he got his hands on her.
She winced, once again the fool for not seeing this coming.
“Bloody hell,” Liam said as he eyeballed the hollows. “How are we getting through?”
Leah beamed from behind her turret. “Same way as always.” She activated the electric motor again, prepping for another slaughter.
But the windows suddenly lit up as enemy muzzles flared to life, pelting their vehicle under waves of bullets. Dwayne swerved further down the street and Leah dove into cover as the gunfire rocked the truck’s frame. The other truck screeched to a halt behind.
“Dammit,” she said. “Anyone got eyes on them?”
Evelyn nodded. “Second floor. I’d say eight shooters, give or take.”
“Any chance you can take another angle, Dwayne?”
He shook his head. “Street’s too crowded, boss. We’re lucky to have gotten this close. Speaking of…”
Hollows hobbled into view, drawn by the vehicles. Hunters leaned out of the other truck’s windows, laying into the crowd. They dropped as quickly as they appeared, only to be replaced by more. Others filed in from adjacent streets, moments later.
Leah stroked her scarf. “Not good. Can’t get too close without losing any cover that turret gives, but we won’t have much time to get indoors before they send out their trucks as reinforcements.”
The radio crackled. “We’ve got movement over here, Leah. It’s coming from the garage!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me… Already?”
Evelyn watched the hollows getting murdered behind, her brow hardened. They were so close. Too close to not risk it all. Not when their daughter’s life was in jeopardy.
“How far you think it is to the door, Liam?” she asked. “A hundred yards, give or take?”
“I’d say so. Why?”
“Who do you think are the two fastest sprinters in the world right now?”
It took a moment to catch the implication. “You can’t be serious… You want us to go in there alone?”
“Yes. This is our baby girl, honey, and we don’t have time to waste anymore.”
His eyes widened as he considered the prospect, but as he watched that same building as her and understood their circumstances, his cheeks turned bright red.
He grabbed her hand. “Let’s get our daughter!”
She smiled, her heart fluttering. “Leah, do you think you could cover our approach?”
“You mean from the army of rabid undead and shooting squad of cultists? For you, why the fuck not?” She climbed back onto the turret and signaled the other car. Distant Hunters gave the thumbs up before doing the same. “You won’t have long. Once those trucks hit the road, we’ll be bogged down taking them out.”
Evelyn nodded. “Understood. Then let’s get this over with before the moment’s lost.”
She and Liam leapt out of the truck, blocking it from Watchtower’s line of sight. The two thrust their acrylic visors down and tightened the straps of their hardsuits, guns ready for use. Dwayne reversed as the minigun spun into motion again.
Bullets clattered against the truck the second they entered the main road, but Leah unleashed a torrent of her own. Glass and concrete exploded from the second floor. The shooting stopped.
“Go, go!” she ordered.
It all became a blur. Evelyn rushed forth with all her speed, Liam by her side. Between Leah on the minigun and a dozen Hunters in support, a wedge formed in the hollows’ ranks. The Beholders were just as powerless. The second any shadow appeared along the rim of the second floor, Leah redirected, honing in on their enemies with mechanical precision. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, they were protected the whole way through.
They reached the door, and Evelyn gave their guardian angel a final salute before dipping in. Liam lunged through a second later, and Leah’s truck drove off, ready to engage their next enemy.
Then they were alone. The pair quickly reached into their rucksacks and drew respirators. Now that they were in close-quarter combat, they needed every ounce of protection they could get.
But Evelyn studied her respirator for a moment, with the faux fur padding and matte black plastic frame. The very same given to her at the start of the outbreak, once again needed to save her daughter’s life.
She slipped it over her mouth and lowered the visor again, covering her face beneath a veil of cold rage.
Not even God would get to see what came next.