The Remnant

A Whole New World

Abigail moaned in pain as she rubbed the back of her head, feeling the bump that had popped out from it. She shuddered as she pushed herself up against the red sandy wall of what appeared to be a small cave. Breathing heavily as if she had just been awoken from a nightmare, she looked around, not seeing anyone. There were a couple of valuables in one corner and what looked like a fire pit. There were also some books along with several canteens of what she could only assume was water. She tried standing to her feet but as she did so she felt very faint and needed to lean against the wall to prevent herself from falling over.

Where was she? Pressing herself forward Abigail walked towards the light of the sunset, towards what she assumed was the exit. As she made her way outside the cave she found that she was near the top of the broken mountain range overlooking the island. Far in the distance, a small figure could be seen walking towards her. She knew who it was. Her mouth opened as she started to yell, “Pet ” but suddenly a cold rough hand was clasped over her mouth and she was thrown back into the cave. Her head hit the rocky floor and she let out a small scream of pain. Tears started to run down her face, and as she wiped them away, her eyes focused on the individual standing before her. Her eyes only widened as she gasped in horror: “Dean!”

~~~

Peter had heard it and now his eyes were fixed on the area of the mountain range from where he had heard the scream come from. Somewhere, someone had tried to call his name but was silenced. His walk turned into a sprint as he ran with all his might towards the base of the mountain, the silver heart necklace clutched tightly in his hand. “Dear God, please don’t let me be too late.”

~~~

Abigail scrambled backward until her back was against the wall. Her eyes were full of fear as she stared at the man as if staring at a ghost.

“Miss me, woman?” His voice was cold and hard, full of hatred and malice.

She was breathing heavily still as she pushed up against the wall and attempted once more to gain her feet. However, this time the spinning was too much and she fell.

He simply chuckled. “I suppose you’re feeling the effects of the sleeping pills.”

Abigail scrambled on the floor again, trying to gather her strength, but she couldn’t. She had been drugged and because of it, she had no strength to fight. “What do you want, Dam. . . ?” she said, desperately trying not to cry again.

Dean only smiled coldly as he crouched down and tipped her chin up, staring into her deep brown eyes. “I want you to repay for what you did to me, you little b***h! But not only that, I want to rip away what’s dearest to you!”

A chill ran through her heart as all her memories and encounters with this Dean character flooded her mind – her meeting him, befriending him, having an intimate relationship with him while supposing to be with Peter. She hated recounting it; it hurt too much. That was why before she left for South Australia she made her choice to break off all ties with him. Obviously, though, he did not like that, and he would not stop, so, with help from David, Gwen, and Peter she cut off any and every means of contact with him.

And now, as if he was a ghost, she was staring into his enraged emerald eyes, eyes that wanted revenge. The earthquake had changed the world. Suddenly the laws that men once lived by were an illusion, and the lack of communication and the lack of accountability meant anyone could do as they please and get away with it.

~~~

David ran his hands through his curly hair and let out a disgruntled sigh. Peter never listened to anyone, especially him. As an older brother, one would have thought he’d be respected by his younger siblings, but they walked all over him and ignored any warnings that he might have had. He was tired of always fixing his younger brother’s mess; that was why he had let him go. He had his own problems to worry about. It was not that he didn’t care about Abigail, but he had his own girl to worry about, and he would not rest until he had found her.

The sun had now fully disappeared behind the horizon as the semi-circled moon started to glide up, offering what little light it could reflect on the dusty ground. David could see their home not far off – well, at least it was their home now. The irony was that they were probably stuck on the island with the least amount of houses. This place was between the location of the airport and what used to be the gap that entered into Alice Springs. They had the local tip and a few motels, but the rest was unexplored and foreign. With no weapons and no transport no one would risk wandering alone especially after dark. No one except his brother.

Suddenly a vibration caught his attention. He could hardly believe it; his phone was ringing! With shaking hands he snatched it out of his pocket, all the while trying not to drop it, and pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” He hadn’t even bothered to check who was calling; just the fact that he had received was enough! A young woman’s voice caused his heart to leap.

“David?” She sounded, tired, scared, and desperate, but behind all that he knew who it was.

“Gwen! Thank God! Oh, Gwen, where are you? Are you okay? Did Jon find you?”

His questions were cut short as she said abruptly, “They’re coming, David! They’re coming, looking for you...they want you guys...I don’t know.” She sounded frantic and he just listened tentatively. “It wasn’t an accident! It’s starting!”

He took in a deep breath and tried to talk in a calming tone. “Gwen, calm down. I don’t under – ” he began, but again she cut him off.

“They’re com – it’s started – kill you – Pine – run.” And with that, the reception broke and the line went dead.

A cold wind brushed past David, who was now sweating fast as his hands lay limp on either side of his body. He stood there for a long while, motionless, trying to process everything his fiancé had muttered so desperately to make him understand.

“David!” he heard his older sister Rachel call out from the homestead. She waved as she approached him but was soon silenced by the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

Her voice was so innocent, so concerned; did he dare tell her? Assuming a more composed stature he let out a sigh and slid his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah . . . ” he muttered absently as he accompanied her back to the house. She didn’t dare ask any more questions – he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

David soon calmed his sister’s fears and wandered towards the barn that was near the house, where all the boys stayed each night. It was not a comfortable place, but it did better than out in the open where they would be prey to dingos, or worse. He walked past the gnarled wooden doors and glanced around until his eyes fell on his older brother’s figure. He was sitting near the back of the barn, fiddling with something as usual. He casually walked past several other guys and sat beside his brother let out a sigh.

“I got a call this evening.”

Suddenly Juda’s eyes flew wide open in absolute astonishment as he dropped what he was doing, his silence urging his brother to continue.

“It was Gwen. She seemed scared and rattled on about something not being an accident, it’s starting . . . and they’re coming.”

David observed the thoughtful look on his older brother’s face and remained silent, hoping that if anyone knew what Gwen was saying, he would. The fact that no one knew the earthquake was coming was a lie. Their father was a meteorologist, and even though he didn’t study the ground, he studied the sky and everything of it, and he could tell bad news was heading their way quick.

It was Juda who seemed to be prepared for the earthquake; it was his idea to go off-roading together and invite a group of people out for a picnic. David could still remember how annoyed he was with Peter that Abigail had to tag along. Maybe it was because he knew?

“Did she say anything else?” His voice almost gave David a fright as he let out a breath and thought for a while.

“Well, after she said that the reception started breaking. I heard the words ‘started’, ‘kill’, ‘Pine’, and ‘run’.”

There it was – that look of acknowledgment. David saw it almost immediately in his brother’s eyes. The train had started moving and thoughts were in motion, coming together. “What do you know?” David was blunt and to the point. Gwen was out there somewhere, alive, but frightened, and he needed to find her.

Juda got to his feet and left the barn, heading for the wreckage. David only stood watching and eventually called out, “What do you know?!”

Juda only looked his kid brother up and down and then towards another mountain range in the distance, beyond the one where David had found Abigail’s necklace.

“Pine Gap,” was all Juda said, and continued walking, leaving David with more questions than he had ever bargained for.

~~~

It was bitterly cold. Abigail hunched around a smoldering fire that did not give her an ounce of warmth. She sat there thinking long and hard about everything. “It was a stupid move going out by yourself,” she thought over and over to herself. Her hands were wrapped around her legs as she rested her head on her knees. She prayed with all the power in her that he wouldn’t come, that he’d leave it be, but Abigail knew Peter more than anyone. He didn’t think; he just always rushed into a situation without a backup plan.

Not that he ever really needed one. Back then the world had been different. No one was trying to kill you – no one had the freedom to do it – but now in this new world, everything was free game.

Suddenly she heard a rustling and her heart sank. She looked up and soon saw a tall figure enter the cave, his face screaming that he was exhausted.

“Abby . . . ” he said, almost out of breath as he ran towards her.

She shot to her feet, arms outstretched, but the pain only seared through her throat as she tried to say something. “Get out it’s – ”

He picked her up and embraced her tightly, ignoring her distress. He was only overjoyed that he had found her, that she was okay. Suddenly something caught him aback. She was crying. He had known Abigail for a long time and he knew that she was not one just to break down in tears on any occasion. He cupped her face and looked down into her brown eyes and could see tears streaming from them. She mouthed the word “Run” but it was already too late.

His! Someone had thrown water on the fire and the entire cave went dark. It took Peter only a moment for his eyes to adjust and then he saw a tall, skinny figure near the entrance. He was holding something.

“So, brat, we meet again.” The voice was unmistakable as Peter put Abigail behind him, out of the way, to protect her.

“Dean, get out of our way!” he almost shouted, wanting to keep his cool. Often his anger blinded him and only proved to be more of a distraction than an aid.

“She’s mine!” Dean hissed, as he approached, letting whatever long object was in his hand rest on his side.

“She’s not a piece of meat you can own! She made her choice; now get over it and get out of my way!”

Peter could feel Abigail shaking and clutching onto him for dear life. She was frightened, but why? She should have known that he could hold his own in a fight, especially against someone as skinny as Dean. Then suddenly his eyes fell on the article that was held by his side, and he gasped as he realized what it was: a shot gun. Somehow Dean had gotten his hands on one. What puzzled him is that if he wanted to he could have already shot both of them where they stood, or even when Peter was climbing the cliff. Suddenly his calm returned to him, for he knew that if he made Dean too angry both his and Abigail’s chances of survival would be nothing. Peter raised both hands in an attempt to appease their captor.

“Please, we’ll leave you alone, go our separate ways like we did before.”

Dean snickered and shook his head, pointing the gun at Peter, and with that fired a shot past his shoulder. Abigail let out a scream and clutched Peter from behind, her face digging into his back.

“Dean!” Peter said louder, desperately trying to defuse the situation. “Please, she’s been hurt enough by both of us. Stop hurting her.”

Lowering the gun he could see Dean’s vengeful eyes glare straight through him, but what chilled him more than this was his stare was not focused on him. It was focused on Abigail, who was now standing beside Peter clutching his arm like a frightened child.

“If you give her up, then you can go.”

Peter was repulsed by that. Did this piece of trash honestly think he’d just give Abigail up as if she was some worthless prize?

“I promise to take care of her, just like I would have before.” Dean slowly outstretched his arm as if to take her by the hand, but Peter swatted his arm away like a fly.

“If you think I would even allow you to touch her, you’re mistaken!”

Dean shrugged his shoulders and pointed the barrel of the shotgun right at Peter’s head. “Fine, let’s see how she’ll like a corpse!”

He shut his eyes, thinking it was all over, but before he knew what was going on the gun fired, not at his head, but at the ceiling. His eyes opened and saw the gun lying on the ground. Dean was on the floor. Abigail appeared to have leaped on him as he fired the gun. He had pushed her off and now her body was slumped against the rock wall, motionless.

“Abby . . . ” Peter whispered, grabbing the gun that now lay beside the immobilized Dean, slinging it over his shoulder. He then grabbed Abigail, scooping her up in his strong arms, and prepared to leave the cave. She had been knocked out cold, and, to his fear, he could see blood running down the side of her face. “Oh, dear Lord, help us!” he whispered as he tried his best to carefully pick his way down the steep slope whilst carrying his beloved in his arms.

Eventually, he reached the base of the mountain and laid Abigail softly on the ground. He brushed her tangled black hair out of her face to reveal her deep chocolate complexion. She was still breathing. She was alive! What more could he have asked for?

“You . . . ” He heard Dean’s cold abusing voice carry on the wind followed by obscenities. He now held a knife in his hand and was walking towards Peter like a mad man. “I’ll kill you!” he called as he started to run towards him.

Peter looked down at his sleeping beauty and then up at the deranged killer that was heading his way. His hands slid the gun around so he could hold it properly. He looked down at it and everything his father had taught him on the farm resurrected.

“Hold it like this, Peter,” he could hear his strong father say and he could almost feel his hands resting on his shoulders and arms, trying to give his son the correct posture. “Make sure your eyes are fixed on where you want to shoot,” his instructions continued as Peter raised the gun. “Rest your cheek here.” Peter did as his memories commanded. He could see his dad’s smile; he could remember the pines and the tweeting of birds in the distance. “And when you’re ready fire.”

BANG! The explosion echoed all around them, bouncing off the mountain slope, causing whatever wild life was around to either run away or burrow into a hole and stay there. The gun smoked and the smell of gunpowder was in the air. His hands tingled, but he didn’t notice. All his attention was now focused on the man’s body that lay limp in front of him, a bullet buried home in his head.

Peter lowered the gun and tossed it around his back. He walked towards Abigail who seemingly was still out of it. Honestly, he was glad. He couldn’t have guessed her reaction if she had seen him do what he did. Abigail was the type of person who always saw the good in another person . . . even when it was not there. Maybe it was her naivety that caused her to end up in situations like these, and Peter usually had to pick up the pieces – her pieces.

He pulled a silver chain with a heart pendant on it from his pocket and carefully strung it around her neck before picking her up in his arms and holding her close, breathing in her scent.

“It’ll be okay,” he said as a single tear started to slide down his cheek and fell onto hers. “We’ll be okay.”