A Lawless Land

New Fear

Cara grabbed her siblings and dragged them to the barn, finding a truck partially hidden under a tarp. She threw it off and tried the doors, finding them unlocked. One by one, she helped her siblings into the back seat.

"Duck down as much as you can, close your eyes and cover your ears, just like mom would always tell you," her voice trembled slightly, but she held in her tears. She tried getting Duke's attention, but Duke stood guard at the door, waiting for Darren.

Darren had wiped his tear-streaked, dusty face as he backed out of the room, still in shock about what had just happened, but instantly came to his senses and ran to the barn. He threw the big double doors open, then circled the truck, checking the supplies, which were surprisingly still there. Not saying a word, he whistled for Duke, who jumped into the cab and sat next to Cara. He started looking around for the keys, checking the ignition, the console, the glove compartment, then opened the visor on the driver's side, where a key ring fell into his lap. He braced himself as he placed the only key in the ignition, praying that it would start, unsure how long it had actually been sitting in the barn.

One of the younger children peeked out from the back seat, "where's momma?"

It took every ounce of courage and control he had to look at the child and answer them, "she's too sick kiddo, she told us to go ahead without her, if and when she gets well again, she'll come find you all."

The child seemed to accept that answer and returned to ducking down in the back with the others. Cara bit her lip to hold in a sob, she thought she saw a tear slide down Darren's cheek as he faced forward and turned the key in the ignition, wondering what inner strength it must've taken him to lie like that, she herself wasn't sure how she'd be able to tell her siblings what had happened to their mother.

The truck sputtered to life after a couple of tries, and before they pulled out of the barn, he glanced her way and gave her hand a squeeze, "I'll keep you all safe, I swear on my life."

>>>><<<<

Queen hadn't allowed herself much rest at all. Leo found her in the living room, cleaning her guns and knives, and counting what ammunition she had left, which didn't seem like much at all.

"You should be resting," he said softly, but firmly.

"I can't. Time is limited, if it's not already too late. I promised to get them to safety, and I'm a woman of my word," she had snapped the magazine in place, as if to signify the end of the conversation, then began strapping them into their holsters.

Leo stood there thoughtfully for a moment, knowing there was probably nothing he could say or do to stop her, "if that's the case, then you'll be needing more ammo. Come with me."

She was stunned for a moment, but followed him to his room. He went into his closet, pushed some clothes aside and opened up a crawlspace that hid a gun safe. He pulled out boxes of ammunition as well as his own guns and knives, handing her the kind she needed. After he locked it back up, he turned to the other end of the closet, and pulled out a hunting bow from another case that was hidden behind police uniforms still pressed within drycleaning bags, looking as if they hadn't been touched in ages.

Queen stared at them curiously, she had a flashback to the military uniforms that had been sitting in her own closet that she had pushed aside to grab weapons. It seemed like it had happened years ago now, but at the same time, remembered it vividly like it was yesterday. She hadn't looked back until now.

"So where were you when it all fell apart?" she found herself asking.

"I was sitting in my patrol car with a speed gun, uninterestingly enough. I heard that first explosion from several miles away, and then the police radio went off like crazy, all you could hear was sirens and shouting over the radio for hours, when I stopped on the expressway outside of the city, the air was thick with smoke and ash, the radio had turned to static. It's a moment that explicitly lives in my brain, I could never forget it. Where were you?" Leo asked, reflexively, she was sure.

She wasn't sure she wanted to answer, but thought it only fair since she had asked him, "I was in the hospital... the explosions woke me up from my coma. Really seems like ages ago now, I haven't gone back to the city since I left it."

"A coma? Really?"

She pointed to the long since faded scar on her forehead, "yeah, from a blunt trauma. Something that happened while I was..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, but instead changed the topic, "thanks for the ammo and weapons, I have a feeling they will be very needed, still have assholes tailing me, probably. I've pissed off a lot of people."

He could tell that it was meant to be something to lighten the tense mood that had surrounded the both of them. He couldn't imagine what she had seen or experienced, but he was determined to show her she didn't have to do it alone anymore.

Leo knew how to read the mood, the conversation was over.

He cleared his throat and tilted his head toward the door, "let's pack up the truck, then I'll talk to the council and let them know the situation."

She nodded in response, relieved he didn't push for more of her story. Once the truck was packed up, Leo took her with him to the house where they held their councils.

"You all remember Queen, we are indebted to her for the help she gave us, and I would like to start repaying her by going with her on a kind of search and rescue mission. Once we've accomplished that, I'd like to scout for supplies. You all have lists of things our community needs or are low on, and I'm looking to remedy that."

"Leo, are you sure it's wise to leave at a time like this? We barely survived the storm, what if we get hit by something worse? What if we get attacked again by this woman's acquaintances?" An older man glared accusingly at her.

Leo sighed, "your concerns are valid, but we need supplies, and I don't feel like anyone else here is prepared enough to face what's outside our walls. I'm doing this, and I'm helping her."

He made it clear he was done speaking. The older man, who she learned went by the name Rev, a former pastor, and valued member of their walled community, began to protest again.

She straightened up and looked him in the eyes, "with all due respect, sir, these 'acquaintances' were extremely bad people, even if they hadn't been trying to track me down for revenge, they would've eventually stumbled upon your community and still attacked you, because that is what this particular group does, and they're not the only ones out there who are like that. The majority of the world out there, it's every person for themselves, and they will do whatever it takes to survive, including murdering others to get what they want. I've come to face countless numbers of them, and it isn't over. So it would be wise for you all to continue training and preparing yourselves for every possible situation, stockpiling food is just one of those things that needs to be done, regardless of the odds or circumstances."

Rev closed his mouth and stared down at his hands. She took that as a sign of his understanding and turned to leave, he started to speak again, but in a quieter tone.

"These are the end of days, the second coming of Christ will soon be upon us, may God have mercy on your soul, for you will be judged. These stories of your deeds are glamorized and used to sway others in your favor, your violent way of life is not God's way. If we put all our faith in Him, He will provide."

Queen rolled her eyes with frustration, "whatever beliefs you may have, it doesn't change the way this world works now, survival is the only thing that matters at this point, and I'll be damned if I stand by and let good people suffer and die because you think praying and reading scriptures alone will protect you and your people from that. If I burn in hell for doing what I need to do, then so be it."

Soon after, she was in Leo's truck and Paul was opening the gates for them. Leo had to put himself between her and Rev when their discussion became heated, Queen was ready to pulverize the old man. Something he said had struck a nerve with her.

As they drove off, sitting in silence, he worked up the courage to ask, "care to explain what that was all about back there?"

She let out a heavy sigh and dragged her hand down her face, "do you believe in anything he says?"

Leo clenched his jaw and tapped a finger against his steering wheel, "there was a time I did, it got me through a lot of dark times in my life, and while I do think some people need to believe in a higher power to cope with life and all the ups and downs it comes with, I also know there are some who can't. Here's my question to you though, how do you cope with all of it?"

She thought for a moment as she stared out of the window as fields turned to lines of trees, "cope? Is there really a way to cope though? I just keep going, never stop to think about things, if I did that, I would probably be dead by now," She paused as she checked the trees for any signs of movement, "I think we need to leave the truck somewhere before we go looking for the farmhouse, I don't know if anyone else is still lurking around there or not."

"How far is this place anyway?" He anxiously tried to follow her line of sight to see where she was looking.

"Hard to say exactly, it was at least a few hours by foot," she continued training her eyes through the trees.

"Well that could be anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes from here, depending on your pace," he eyed his dashboard indicators to see how much gas he had left, wondering if they'd get lucky and come across some fuel. He was not hopeful though, as it felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. The idea of leaving the truck made him nervous, but at the same time, it felt like a very good idea, Queen made a solid point.

She spotted a dilapidated barn and pointed it out to him, "we can park by that, cover the truck up with some branches and brush, what do you think?"

Leo nodded and found a path to turn off on. Once they had parked, they quickly searched the area, finding a ragged old canvas cover, then proceeded to cover that up with thick fallen branches, ferns and tree foliage. They strapped on backpacks full of whatever provisions they needed and began searching the surrounding area.

She kept one hand on her holster and the other holding a dagger. If there was one thing she had truly learned in her experiences, it was to never venture into unfamiliar territory unarmed.

In any case, she felt like they were in the right place, she found some traces of that run from the men who ruthlessly tracked and hunted her, but there were traces of something else, more people, more vehicles, and she instantly felt the urge to venture off the beaten path, something felt very wrong. She signaled to Leo with her hands as she ducked down into the thick overgrown brush.

A convoy drove up the long driveway, three dark SUVs escorting a long white RV looking vehicle. Men in military uniforms filed out of the SUVs, a man in a worn white lab coat, followed by a petite woman with a messy ponytail dressed in office clothes and a clipboard clutched to her chest, stepped out of the RV.

She appeared uneasy around the guards, their eyes were on her, urging her to move closer to the man in the lab coat as they approached the farmhouse.

He turned to one of the men that had accompanied them, "Carlisle, take a group in and make sure it's clear."

The soldier nodded, his eyes leered over the woman before he turned to his men and passed on the order. She gave a look of disgust as she turned to the man in the lab coat.

"Must you insist on working with these sleazeballs, Doctor?" She muttered to him.

"We must do what is necessary, Mis Murano. They keep us safe from anyone or anything that might do us harm, we must remember this is all for the sake of science and the redemption of humanity," he smiled with an arrogant, self-righteous smile she had come to know him for, more than any actual contribution he had made to science or humankind, nor did she care for his practices or methods. But at least she was kept safe, employed, and cared for, despite the peril she constantly felt from being around such suspicious and corrupt people on a regular basis.

She hasn't known the details of what Dr. Lazarian had been studying or experimenting with, but she had noticed a growing number of people disappearing from the facility where they had been living, before venturing out to find more people to 'recruit for their cause.' So far, they had only come across roadkills and corpses, which still made her stomach twist up in knots.

Carlisle and one of his men returned, "I still have men searching the upper levels of the house, but we found something that might be interesting for you, Lazarian. Looks like something you'd know about."

"That's Dr. Lazarian to you, Carlisle, but please do lead on."

They followed him through a sitting room, down a hallway, and through the kitchen, to what looked like what used to be a pantry, though everyone's eyes went to the same thing. A partially open wall with furniture piled up in front of it, but most of all, the dead woman leaning across it from opening.

Dr. Lazarian immediately recognized the numbers tattooed on the woman's inner forearm, and his eyes grew wide with fascination.

"I believe I do remember this woman, but I also recall she had children. Where are they, I wonder. Nevertheless, free her from this mess and bring her into my lab. It would seem her body has gone through some interesting changes that I'd like to examine more closely."